La Fête des Mères
by vinewood and dragon heartstring
Summary: "I always worry about you." "Another duty according to the boyfriend manual?" she queried. Dan laughed, "Yeah. In fine print at the bottom of the page."
1. Prologue

Firstly, I have to say that I got the idea for this from shesaid01 who is taking requests for holiday-inspired Gossip Girl oneshots.

Secondly, this is based on TV Blair and Dan, because Leighton Meester and Penn Badgley do look good together.

And lastly, I own nothing but the plot. Unfortunately the characters are not mine, or Dan and Blair would be sharing many more scenes together.

* * *

Blair Waldorf opened her eyes slowly, as the morning light filtered through the gauzy curtains of her Parisian apartment. 

Now happily two years out of college- Yale, of course- Blair was living in Paris and working at Le Petit Palace in their Acquisitions Department.

She wondered how it was exactly that she'd decided on Art History as her major. She wondered how it was that she was actually happy to be working instead of sitting around looking pretty for an inattentive husband, which was what her mother- and the rest of New York City's Upper East Side- expected of her.

But as she smiled in the dawn light, Blair didn't need to wonder anymore.

She could spot him entering the room as quietly as he could, a breakfast tray perfectly balanced in one hand, the other arm wrapped tightly around the most precious thing in both of their lives.

"I was hopping you'd still be asleep."

Blair shook her head and sat up, running her hands through her thick chestnut locks in an attempt to smooth them out.

The man she called her husband- they'd been married for nineteen months now- set the tray down on her nightstand, which was conveniently cleared of her trinkets and late night reading.

He took a seat on the edge of the bed and bent down to place a soft kiss on her lips. Blair gave a sigh of satisfaction when he pulled away.

"Happy Mother's Day," he murmured. "It's your first."

Blair's grin intensified as she reached for the small bundle resting in the crook of her husband's arm.

She was gorgeous; but Blair might have just been a tad biased, since she was the mother, after all.

In any event, Blair thought her daughter was the most beautiful in the world.

Madeleine had made her entrance into the world just five months prior, thick hair the color of chocolate like her mother's, eyes the exact shade of brown as her father's, a small button nose and cute, upturned mouth. Her eyes were closed for the moment so all of Blair's admiration was done slowly. Madeleine wore a rose-colored onesie, a matching cap on her head to stop her from getting too cold.

"Yeah," Blair whispered, "I guess it is. She's the most stunningly gorgeous little girl in the whole world, right? It's not just me being a mom?"

Blair shifted her gaze at her husband, who reached out to run a thumb across little Maddie's powder-soft cheek.

"No," he concurred. "She really is the best. I guess she got it from her mommy."

Blair managed to catch his lips with her own.

"I love you, Cabbage Patch. You know that?"

Dan Humphrey let out a chuckle and rested his forehead against his wife's.

"I love you, too," he replied. "I still can't believe you call me Cabbage Patch after all of these years, Blair."

The brunette shrugged.

"It's my nickname for you, Dan. It always has been and it always will be. And when we're eighty years old with grandchildren, I'll still call you Cabbage Patch."

"Well, I guess I'll keep that in mind. After all, you're _my_ BC. Besides, you're kinda stuck with me for life, babe." He observed. "Who else would help you make such perfect babies?" he added playfully.

Blair smirked.

"I hear Clive Owen's available." She quipped.

Dan shook his head once.

"First of all, he's not. Secondly, he's almost fifty. And thirdly, you would never do something like that to Maddie." He declared quite proudly. "I win."

"Well, you _are_ married to me, so I suppose that is a very fortunate win for you." Blair countered.

"Yeah. I am." Dan said, as he watched Blair and Madeleine together. "Lucky me."

* * *

Well, there we are. Depending on how this goes, I might make this a longer story. 


	2. 2010: Five Years Prior

Same disclaimer as before: I unfortunately don't own Blair, Dan, any of the Humphreys, Waldorfs, van der Woodsens, Archibalds, Basses, etc.

For the record, this chapter will take place four years before the last. I thought it would be nice to know how Dan and Blair got to be married, parents, and living in Paris.

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* * *

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_Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom_

_October 9, 2010_

_7:49 p.m._

Blair Waldorf couldn't help the smile that graced her lips as she watched Rufus Humphrey and Lillian van der Woodsen welcoming their guests to their engagement dinner.

Lilly looked beautiful in an ice-blue gown, her long blonde hair pulled back into a chignon.

Rufus stood beside her, surprisingly handsome, in a black suit, white Oxford and ice blue tie.

Looking around the large crowd, Blair spotted Lilly's daughter and her ex-bestie but still current friend, Serena van der Woodsen, conversing with Rufus' daughter, Jenny.

Not thirty feet away, Erik van der Woodsen, Serena's brother, was making conversation with Blair's ex-boyfriend Nate Archibald, and Chuck Bass.

A flash of green caught Blair's attention, and the petite brunette winced when she saw her mother, Eleanor Waldorf, heading straight for her.

Blair searched for an exit. As Eleanor was stalled by a few of her fellow socialites, Blair spied French doors leading out to the patio, and ducked towards the exit quickly.

It wasn't until she was closing the doors as inconspicuously as possible that Blair realized that she was not alone out on the landing.

"I didn't think you'd show. Especially without that tetanus shot."

Blair spun around to find the only member of the soon-to-be-formed Humphrey-van der Woodsen family not enjoying the party.

Dan Humphrey was leaning against the stone balustrade, infinitely good-looking in charcoal gray suit, black Oxford, and black and dove gray checkered tie. His hair was cut slightly shorter than the last time Blair had seen him.

Blair gathered her wits about her.

"I was upset; it was the best I could up with under duress. Besides, I was invited." She established, leaning back against the glass doors.

Dan shrugged a shoulder.

"I know." He admitted. "Why are you out here, though? The party is in there. Serena, Jenny, Isabel, Kati, Chuck, Nate…they're all in there. The crème de la crème of Manhattan society is that room and you're out here with me."

Blair met Dan's expressive coffee-colored eyes for a brief second before shifting her focus to sky above Central Park visible over his shoulder.

"The crème de la crème of Manhattan society includes my mother." She revealed, voice just barely above a whisper. "I'd just like to stall that visit as much as possible right now."

"Okay."

Blair crossed over to the balustrade. New York looked beautiful in the moonlight. She missed this.

As much as Blair loved Yale University and New Haven, Connecticut, there was something about Central Park on an autumn eve that just made her feel at home. There was a slight chill in the air and Blair folded her arms across her chest in an attempt to stave off the breeze.

Dan watched Blair.

Back in high school he'd been on Serena's team, believing her to be the good one of the pair. The picture his late night phone conversations with Serena and Vanessa Abrams had painted of Blair was not in the least appealing, despite the few honest exchanges he'd himself had with the Waldorf heiress.

But as he watched her now, Dan could easily see he'd been mistaken and hypocritical. He'd criticized Blair for not being more open-minded, for not giving him and Jenny more opportunities, for classifying them as beneath her because of their zip code and yet he'd done the same to her. Dan had pigeonholed the heiress in a heartbeat, designating Blair to be arrogant, heartless, scheming and cold without so much as a second thought.

A loud honk brought him out of his reverie, and Dan and Blair turned to slightly to their left, looking over the railing toward Central Park South where a taxicab driver and a Lincoln Town Car were engaged in a battle for better parking.

A flash of skin caught Dan's attention.

Blair's dress was backless. Was she trying to kill him? Dan had never negated the fact that Blair Waldorf was beautiful. He new it as well as everybody else in the city did. And he was as affected by it as all the men that came into contact with the brunette. Dan had just been a whole lot better at concealing his reaction.

But he hadn't seen her in two years and his loyalty to Serena was murky and fraternal at best, so Dan allowed himself to appreciate the sight Blair presented him.

When he saw her shiver, Dan shrugged off his suit jacket and slipped it over Blair's shoulders.

The feel of rich fabric moving across her skin startled Blair, and she spun around to find Dan holding his jacket and wrapping it tightly around her small frame.

"You looked cold." Dan said.

"Thanks."

"I want to apologize." Dan began; he was unaware of why he felt the compulsion to express his contriteness when it would sound ridiculous, even to him. "This is going to sound incredibly stupid but…I wasn't the nicest person to you in high school. So I'm apologizing for being an ass."

Blair's laugh rang clear in the night. Her chocolate eyes sparkled with mirth, her cheeks flushed pink.

Dan didn't think he'd ever seen her look more stunning.

Here she was, standing the autumn air, dark hair tousled by the breeze, her shapely figure wrapped up in a short and strapless dove-gray dress topped off with his jacket.

"I was a bitch to you." Blair reminded him. "A complete and utter bitch. To Jenny, too. I should be asking you for forgiveness."

Dan shrugged and the matter was dropped.

"What do you think about upper echelon Lillian van der Woodsen marrying a blue-collar guy like my dad?" Dan queried, sitting down on a stone bench.

Blair pulled the coat tighter around her and sat down beside Serena's former boy-toy.

"They actually love each other." She uttered, a hint of wonderment lacing her voice. "Do you know how rare that is when it comes to people like us? Lilly is very lucky, even if it did take them twenty years to get their act together. Besides, I like your dad. He's actually very charming."

They shared a smile.

"It must have skipped a generation." Dan quipped.

Blair looked up at him; Dan's face covered in shadows, and shook her head.

"You underestimate yourself, Humphrey." Blair argued. "You're pretty appealing yourself."

Dan raised an eyebrow.

"Are you drunk?"

"Do I have to be drunk to pay you a compliment?"

"Yeah." Dan deadpanned. "Or stoned. Or both."

The two shared moment of silence before bursting into giggles.

"Well, you're right." Blair confirmed. "I'm a little bit drunk. But I meant what I said. Just know it's very likely I'll never say it again."

"Okay. For the record, the feeling's mutual, Waldorf. The feeling's mutual."

* * *

I consulted with my best friend, who happens to be my beta, and she encouraged me to continue so...this is my attempt to writing something more than a oneshot. 

Be kind, review. If you think this is good, let me know. If you think it sucks, let me know, too.


	3. Secrets and Silences

The same disclaimer as before applies.

I struggled with this chapter for some reason. I'm not sure it's as good as I would like it but...I leave it all up to you guys.

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* * *

_

_Plaza Hotel_

_October 9, 2010_

_8:13 p.m._

"This is weird."

Dan looked at the brunette sitting beside him.

"Yeah," he agreed, "it kinda is."

"But not uncomfortable." Blair finished. "I don't understand how that works between us."

Dan sighed.

"I don't know either. Maybe…we're more alike than we think. Freud would point out our obvious 'Mommy' issues. But I hate Freudian logic, mostly because it's illogical, so…I'm babbling. I think I'm a little drunk, too."

"I don't like you." Blair stated, eager to put some emotional distance between her and Dan. "I find you self-righteous and pedantic."

"I can be." Dan admitted. He leaned back, resting his head against the polished wall of the Plaza Hotel. "You can be vain and inconsiderate at times. And I still like you."

Blair all but jumped to her feet.

"Excuse me? You _like_ me?"

Dan nodded his head once.

"Yeah. If I didn't, I would've gone back in there ages ago, Blair. Look, I'm not declaring my undying love for you. I like you. I like a lot of people. I'm far too apt to liking people generally."

Blair raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow.

"'_Far too apt to liking people generally_'? You're quoting Jane Austen now, Humphrey?"

He smiled.

"You can't be too intoxicated if you recognized the quotation." He quipped. "I just finished reading _Pride and Prejudice_."

"Chick Lit, Cabbage Patch? Is that part of your West Coast pick-up strategy?"

"First off, Waldorf, it's Brit Lit. And second, what do you want from me? I'm an English major. I spend fifty percent of my time in writing and lit classes. I've read nearly a hundred books these past twenty-four months and…that was pedantic, right? It sounded pedantic in my head.

"Are you through freaking out or do I have to create a new segue to try and distract you?"

Blair glared at him but resumed her seat.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked. "There are over a hundred people in that ballroom. I'm sure you could make conversation with at least one. Or are you emulating Salinger and his hermit-like qualities?"

"I _am_ having a conversation. I'm talking to you." Dan argued. "Besides, I only came out here for a few minutes. If I had to make small talk with another silk-collar businessman about what I'm planning to do the rest of my life and how sad it is that I didn't get into Dartmouth, I would've hurt someone."

"The Archibalds were really effective with that, weren't they?" Blair said.

In the months leading up to college application deadlines, the Archibald family had launched a full-out campaign against Dan, mostly upset that the boy from Brooklyn would be graduating at the top of his class and would receive St. Jude's Valedictorian Scholarship, something that would pay his tuition at Dartmouth. The Admiral Howie Archibald, a Dartmouth graduate himself, would have none of it and used various contacts at the Hanover, New Hampshire, college to ensure that the only St. Jude alumnus to be admitted into the Ivy was Nate.

"He didn't want to go there." Dan said. "Nate didn't want to go to Dartmouth, he committed to Yale and…he still didn't go! Of all the moronic things he could've ever done, this one ranks right up there."

"But the school you are going to- it's in Washington State, right- it has a good English program?"

Dan shrugged.

"It does, but, um…I'm not going to be in Olympia next semester." He revealed.

To say Blair was flabbergasted was an understatement.

"You're dropping out? You, Dan Humphrey, are dropping out of college? Are you kidding?"

Dan reached up and tugged at the knot in his tie, loosening the accessory and leaving it unknotted and hanging around his neck. He turned his head slightly so that he could meet Blair's eyes.

"I never said anything about dropping out." He pointed out. "I'm transferring. Columbia. I start in February."

Dan took his Blair's enigmatic grin as a good sign. The brunette then did something that shocked them both: she reached over, clasped one of his hands in hers and gave it a squeeze.

"Congratulations," she whispered, as if afraid that the wind would take her sentiment away and across Central Park out into the Atlantic. "Your dad must be glad you're coming back to New York."

"My dad doesn't know. Neither does Jenny. Nobody knows. My acceptance is still pending my finals so…I'm not in the clear yet. I don't want everybody to get excited over something that might not happen."

"Of course it'll happen. It's you, Humphrey." Blair said. She dropped her gaze for a quick glance at their entwined hands before meeting his eyes again. "I'm surprised you told me before anyone else."

"Me, too." He confessed.

They sat in complete silence for the next few minutes. Surprisingly, it was not uncomfortable and the only sounds came were from inside the ballroom, where the party was still in full swing, and the streets of the City of New York.

There was something comforting about their silences. Whenever things between Blair and Nate went quiet, it brought immediate attention to the tension running high and the secrets between them. The moments of hush between Dan and Serena were often indicative of the blatant differences between them and how, no matter how much they tried, they would never be able to reconcile the space between them.

But Dan and Blair were just inherently at ease in silence with each other. It was another of those strange things they couldn't comprehend.

Hours later, when they were each tucked away in the dark safety of their respective bedrooms, they would ponder as to why this was, and both would place calls to young but wise Jenny; Dan as her mystified older brother and Blair as her bewildered best friend.

But for now they enjoyed the little bit of peace offered to them.

----

Serena, Jenny and Vanessa had joined Erik, Nate and Chuck in conversation in the center of the room. The five young adults had already gone through the obligatory small talk topics of the weather and school, and were now fully into a full debate on the necessity of excess when Rufus and Lilly walked to them.

"Has anyone seen Dan?" Rufus queried. "He was here for the speech but I haven't seen him since."

"Or Blair? Eleanor was looking for her earlier but neither of us can find her." Lilly added. "It wouldn't be news if she snuck back to her room, but I don't think she'd do it without saying goodbye."

Jenny reached into her Judith Leiber clutch and extracted her cell phone.

"I'll send them each a text message." She suggested. "If they don't answer back in a few minutes, we'll split up and go look."

Employing her skills as an efficient texter, Jenny typed out a message to Dan and then one to Blair. When she flipped her phone shut, they all stood back and waited.

----

The loud hum of a cell phone broke the silence. Blair watched as Dan reached into his pants pocket and extracted the device, flipping it open to find a text message.

"Jenny says they're a step short of sending a search party for you and me." He relayed. "We should get back in there."

Dan rose to his feet, finally dislodging his hand from Blair's. He brushed his slacks off and offered the heiress a hand. Blair gracefully accepted his chivalry, and stood up.

"Do you want to go first?" Dan queried. "So as to not be seen with me?"

Blair rolled her eyes.

"Who in their right mind is going to be watching the doors, Humphrey?" she countered. "Don't be stupid."

Dan bit back a potshot and reached for the door.

"I must look a mess." Blair said as Dan opened the door and held it open for her.

----

It was Erik who saw them, his eyes catching movement from the far end of the room.

"Found them." He announced.

"Found who?" Nate queried. "Blair or Dan?"

"Both." Erik supplied. "Just look."

All seven of Erik's companions turned to look.

Dan and Blair were making their way back into the room. They were talking politely, which itself was amazing, but what most caught their attention- Serena, Jenny and Nate's- was how the dark-haired duo appeared.

They were disheveled.

Blair's hair was mussed and she was wrapped in Dan's suit jacket. Dan's tie was undone and his shirt was rumpled. Both of their cheeks were flushed.

If they didn't know better, it would seem like the pair had just returned from an intense make out session.

----

"I was freezing out there." Blair said. "My face has to be completely flushed."

Dan assessed her for a minute before shaking his head.

"You look fine."

"_Fine_?"

"What did you want me to say? Superb? Fantastic? Flawless?"

"Well, yes." Blair answered. "One of those adjectives would have been nice. I'm going to go find Lilly and Rufus and say goodnight."

Dan glanced at his watch. It was a quarter to nine.

"It's still pretty early." He commented.

Blair shrugged a shoulder.

"Right now, all I want is to go up to my room and slip under the covers for warmth."

"Maybe you shouldn't have worn that dress." Dan speculated. "It's strapless, it's backless, it's short…you could literally freeze in it."

"I look amazing!" Blair exclaimed.

"Right. You do look amazing," Dan concurred. "That doesn't take away the fact that it's October in New York City and there are strong winds."

"Are you done? I have to find Lilly and Jenny."

Dan looked around the room. He could seem them all, congregated like a mob, standing in the middle of the ballroom.

Dan gestured to the bunch.

"There they all are."

Blair turned to look in the direction Dan was pointing. If she tried hard enough she could just about see the vain popping out on Nate's forehead, Chuck's everlasting smirk, Jenny's raised eyebrow, and Serena's frown.

"After you."

Blair led the way as she and Dan walked over to their friends and family.

"Blair, we were wondering where you'd gotten off to." Lilly said. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that most of the youngsters there found the sight of Dan and Blair together disconcerting; she just didn't care. "Eleanor was looking for you earlier. She and Cyrus left just a few minutes ago."

Blair breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Did she say if-"

"She said she would call your room in the morning." Lilly finished. "Are you okay? You look flushed."

Blair smiled gently at the woman she'd always considered more of a mother to her than her own. It was funny, actually; when she and Serena were growing up, before the blonde left for boarding school, Eleanor had already shown a preference for her daughter's best friend, and Lilly had much more enjoyed talking with Blair than with Serena. Now, after the dust had settled on the troublesome junior year at Constance Billard, Blair and Lilly enjoyed a close friendship again.

"I'm fine. I was just outside for a bit." Blair answered. "Dan was nice enough to hand me his jacket." She turned to Rufus. "You raised a very polite son."

"Thank you, Blair." Rufus replied.

"And you?" Jenny prodded her brother. "How did you find my bestie?"

Dan's cheeks were turned just a shade rosier with his blush.

"She found me." He clarified. "I stepped out to get some air and…suddenly there was Blair."

The tension in the room was rising and Blair took that as her cue to bid everyone a good night.

"Well, I'm going to head up to my room." She announced. "Good night, everybody."

Blair kissed Lilly's cheek and hugged Jenny before she turned to walk away. Blair had taken just a few steps before she realized she was still wearing Dan's jacket.

A strong hand stopped her as she went to remove it.

"Keep it." Dan said. "It'll make its way back to me eventually."

Blair nodded.

"Okay. Good night, Humphrey."

"Good night, Waldorf."

Dan watched as Blair made her way out of the ballroom before turning around and bidding everyone goodnight himself.

* * *

I've got some good Rufus/Lilly stuff coming up, not to mention Jenny dealing with Dan and Blair. I'm looking forward to writing that. 


	4. A Waldorf Christmas

Well, this chapter took forever to write because I hit a major writer's block. Add to that my fall finals, the holidays and starting my new super-tough neuropsych class and...I apologize for making you guys wait. This chapter is dedicated to _my _bestie, S, who kept pestering me about this story. There, it's done, S. Thanks for telling me you liked it and for laughing whenever you found an error.

_Waldorf-Rose Apartment_

_December 24, 2010_

_7:37 p.m._

Eleanor Waldorf was _famous_ for her Christmas parties.

The privileged few who managed to snag an invitation were always entertained for a marvelous seven hours with picture-perfect decorations and a gourmet dinner to die for.

Not to mention the A-list guests.

All in all, receiving one of the hand-delivered imported linen and gilded invitations was an honor.

Which was exactly why Dan was standing in the elevator that would take him up to the Waldorf's apartment on Park Avenue.

The invitation had been a surprise. He'd just finished hauling all of his things across the country from Olympia to his family's loft in Brooklyn. He'd aced most of his finals- physics was a bitch so he'd passed with a B- and his admission to Columbia was sealed. His father had been both happy that Dan had transferred to Columbia and was moving back to New York, and disappointed that he'd only found out until the deal was done. Nevertheless, Rufus and Lily had been waiting for him at LaGuardia. Dan spent his first night back at the Humphrey-van der Woodsen brownstone just a few blocks from Constance Billard and St. Jude's. After just eighteen hours in the luxurious 90th Street residence, Dan announced he was moving back into his childhood home. Thirty minutes after Dan and Rufus finished unpacking Dan's things, there was a knock to the door and an invitation. Dan had wondered how Mrs. Waldorf-Rose had managed to find him so quickly.

And now here he was, dressed in a sharp black suit, white button-up and gold tie, waiting for the elevator to climb the fourteen floors to Eleanor's apartment.

He carried a small box gaily decorated in dark blue paper and cerulean ribbon. Dan had been taught that it was polite to bring something to the host when one was invited to a dinner party; however the present wasn't for the host of this red and green themed soiree but rather the host's eldest daughter, whom Dan was sure had finagled an invite in his name.

The penthouse was loud and crowded with the crème de la crème of Manhattan's Upper East Side. Dan walked into the thick of it, spotting his sister talking to Eleanor Waldorf by the Christmas tree.

A sharp yank tugged him in the opposite direction and into the den, just a few yards from the kitchen. Dan turned to find Blair.

She looked stunning- as always- in a sleeveless, gold satin column that draped over her curves beautifully. Her hair, dark and shinny, was pulled back at the temples with a simple hairpin.

"You came."

Dan didn't know why, but Blair's words rocked his foundation a little. Was the Waldorf heiress actually _glad_ to see him?

Dan settled for a shrug.

"Well, when Eleanor Waldorf-Rose sends a messenger to hand-deliver the invitation all the way to Brooklyn, how can you say no?"

Blair smiled.

"You'd be surprised. Jenny's already here, as you've seen, and your father and Lilly should be here soon. So…enjoy yourself. Welcome to your first Waldorf Christmas Party."

And with that, Blair turned to leave. It seemed so odd, then, that she had pulled him away from the thick of the festivities just to welcome him to her mother's home. Dan suspected that if he wanted any real answers he'd have to ask the questions, so this time it was he who stopped her.

"Blair, thank you for getting me invited." He said.

The brunette shrugged.

"The rest of your family was going to be here anyway. Besides, if you were in Williamsburg, Jenny would leave early and I'd be stuck here alone. So it was much a favor for you as it was for me."

Dan grinned.

"Whatever your reasons were…thanks. I, uh, I got you something." Dan offered her the package. He raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck when she took the gift and inspected it. "It's not much. I mean, it's not even close to what you're used to but…it is what it is."

Blair smiled. She ran a finger over the bow.

"Yale Blue paper and Tiffany Blue ribbon." She noted. "You know, Tiffany copyrighted this precise shade. How did you get it?"

"A friend of mine at Evergreen dyed it. It took us a couple of tries but…we succeeded." Dan replied.

"That's illegal."

"It was only one length of ribbon, Blair. It's not like we're mass producing and marketing the stuff." He argued. "And…it was for a good cause."

Blair tugged at the ribbon for a moment before setting the parcel down on the large cherry oak desk behind her.

"I got the present you sent for my birthday." She said. "It was lovely. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"My roommate fell in love with it," Blair continued. "She complained about her boyfriend not giving her thoughtful gifts for her birthday. Don't worry; I explained that you and I were nowhere near dating. I don't even think we're _really_ friends…the point I was trying to make was that I appreciate the novella. It's not every day a girl gets a story dedicated to her- unless she's Serena, of course."

Dan stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Serena have a troupe of novelists following her around alongside the Whiffenpoofs?" he joked.

Blair let out a laugh.

"I meant you, Humphrey. Wasn't she the subject of your first published work back in junior year?"

"The story was about the day I met Serena but it was never dedicated to her." Dan clarified. "And it wasn't really about her, anyway. The story was about me, and how I felt when I met her. I suppose you could substitute any pretty girl for Serena and still get the gist of it.

The truth is, Blair, that I couldn't stop writing since that night in October. I don't know why but…I thought that you deserved the first look. I'm glad you liked it."

"I'm sure your academic advisor told you how good the story was." Blair said offhandedly.

Dan shook his head.

"I didn't show it to anyone. I don't usually show what I've written to anybody. Besides, I figured you'd let me know pretty quickly if it blew."

To say that Blair was flattered would be a gross understatement. She ducked her head in an attempt to hide her newly acquired blush.

"Well, it was amazing. The heroine wasn't a the stereotypical shrinking violet, the male protagonist wasn't Prince Charming or some clichéd reformed bad boy, and Miranda and Joe's relationship wasn't forced or awkward. They made perfect sense even if they were complete opposites."

Dan smiled. Blair tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. It took only a moment for Dan to realize that her earrings were not her usual pair but rather simple diamond studs (that probably cost as much as one year's tuition at Columbia). He let his eyes drop to her neck, which was devoid of any necklace, and to her hands where the only piece of jewelry Blair wore was the gold and ruby ring her father had given her on her first day of high school.

"No pearls." He said.

Blair's eyes met his, chocolate on chocolate, brow furrowed.

"Beg pardon?"

Dan extracted one of his hands from his pocket and gestured towards her.

"You're not wearing any pearls today. You always wear pearls."

Blair raised a hand to her ear, running a finger across the facets of the flawless diamond.

"I didn't know that you had my jewelry collection memorized or that you took interest in such things. Is there something you want to tell me, Humphrey?"

He smiled.

"It's just something that I guess I always associated with you: pearls. But you look good without them, Blair."

Blair reached for her present, again playing with the trimming.

"I…thank you."

Dan fidgeted.

"Well, I should probably go and greet your mother. I'm sure she'll want to show off her new baby."

Blair cocked her head.

"You haven't met Yale yet?"

"No." Dan replied with a smile. "But I imagine her name was your suggestion."

The brunette gave a coy shrug.

"She's going to love it." Blair took a moment to reevaluate her upcoming suggestion. "Why don't I introduce you? Jenny loves her."

Even though Eleanor Waldorf-Rose had mellowed out considerably since Dan had first met her at the botched Serena/Blair/but-really-just-Serena photo shoot years before, he still had no desire to spend any extended period of time with her.

Blair offered him her hand.

"Sure." Dan said and took her hand.

--

Eleanor Waldorf-Rose turned from Jenny to look around the room.

"Jennifer, have you seen Blair anywhere?" she queried. "She was supposed to bring Yale down ages ago."

The petite blonde shook her head.

"Sorry, Eleanor, I haven't. Why don't I go look for her?" she offered. "I'll be right back."

Eleanor smiled.

"Thank you."

Jenny made her way through the privileged that had been invited to the party. She stood out in the crowd of red and green thanks to her blue cocktail dress. She and Blair had taken a weekend to decide what they would wear to Eleanor's Christmas Eve bash. Blair had chosen the short, flirty dress for Jenny; Jenny had picked out the elegant and seductive golden gown for Blair…and managed to convince an unknowing Dan to wear a matching gold tie.

To tell the truth, Jenny was tired of receiving odd calls in the middle of the night from her brother _and_ her best friend, each wanting to discuss his/her nonexistent but potential romantic relationship with the other. She wished that Dan and Blair would just get their acts to together and a) decide that they were too different to be anything other than mild acquaintances; b) acknowledge their commonalities and settle into a satisfactory friendship; or c) realize their buckets of chemistry and get together. The last option happened to be Jenny's favorite.

Jenny spotted the Blair's trusted housemaid.

"Dorota, have you seen Blair?" she queried. "Eleanor's looking for her and I haven't seen her in a while."

The woman nodded.

"Miss Blair went upstairs."

"Thanks."

Jenny headed for the staircase.

--

There was something about Blair's room that seemed off to Dan. Certain pieces- the black and white photographs hanging on the walls and the framed, vintage fashion-design sketches next to her vanity, for example- ably asserted that they'd been chosen by the brunette, but other elements- the colors and furniture- were clearly chosen by a designer who took no input from the woman who would be residing in the room.

Dan shucked his jacket, tossing it into the wingchair in the corner of the room. He took a seat on the foot of the bed and smiled. _Who would've ever pictured me in Blair Waldorf's bedroom_? He thought.

A small whimper brought Dan back to reality. He turned towards the sound, finding Blair rocking a baby. Blair walked deeper into her bedroom and took a seat next to Dan.

The baby was beautiful. Dan had missed out on meeting little Yale Rose due to his move to Washington State. Eleanor and Cyrus Rose's daughter was every bit as beautiful as Blair. Yale had thick wisps of rich brown hair and big green eyes. She wore a green velvet dress with a matching headband and white leggings Dan thought must be a pain to take off when Yale needed a diaper change.

"Look at you." He said, glancing up at Blair. "You're a natural."

Blair smiled.

"I think she just misses me. I don't see her every often."

"She looks like you." Dan commented. "She'll grow up to be a heartbreaker."

Blair took in the compliment but did not comment on it.

"She was a surprise. My mother didn't think she'd have any more children after me but I adore her. It was lonely growing up as an only child. You're lucky to have Jenny."

"I didn't always see it that way but, yeah, I am. And Yale's lucky to have you. Who better than the Queen Bee of the UES to teach her how to succeed? She'll be It Girl by first grade."

"I hopes she handles it better than I did." Blair whispered. "I'd hate to see Yale turn out like me."

Dan draped an arm around Blair's shoulders.

"You know, it wouldn't be too bad if Yale resembles you."

Blair raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"You hated my guts, Humphrey."

"Not always. But how I felt about you then, Blair, didn't change the fact that you were, and still are, strong and independent, intelligent and beautiful. Yale would be lucky to be half the woman you are."

"Does your family have some sort of guide manual that teaches you how to reassure women?" Blair asked sarcastically.

_Some things don't change_, Dan thought. _Blair is still using her acerbic wit to deflect compliments_.

"I think it's just natural." He countered. He brought his arm back to his side. "Now, will let me hold your baby or not?"

Blair carefully transferred Yale into Dan's arms.

"You have to support her head. Be careful. Don't squeeze her but don't hold her too loosely." She advised.

Dan stood up.

"Blair, will you relax?" he requested. Dan focused his attention on the five-month-old girl in his arms. "I think we forgot about you in our discussion. It's very nice to meet you, Yale. I'm Dan Humphrey. You know my sister, Jenny, and I know your sister, Blair. You're going to love having her around while you're growing up, let me tell you. Blair's amazing, Yale, and I think you'll be amazing, too."

--

_Waldorf-Rose Apartment_

_December 24, 2010_

_8:13 p.m._

"Jenny!"

The Yalie turned around to find Serena and Nate exiting the elevator. Serena, ever the fashionista, wore a sleeveless tea-length white silk dress and black pumps. Nate sported an olive-colored suit with a black button-up under.

"Hey, Serena." Jenny said, walking down the stairs and embracing her stepsister. "Nate. You two look great."

"Likewise." Serena said. "So, where are the parentals?"

Jenny shrugged her shoulders.

"They haven't shown up yet. Did you see Dan downstairs?"

"No. Why? Was he was invited?" Serena queried.

Nate shifted a bit where he stood. He'd been uncomfortable walking into the Waldorf penthouse ever since the whole Blair/Chuck debacle in junior year. Even though Nate had forgiven Chuck- and so had Blair- neither of the boys had been particularly welcome around Eleanor and her daughter.

"Yeah. Eleanor sent him an invite to the loft in Brooklyn. He was supposed to be here like thirty minutes ago but I haven't seen him."

"Where's Blair? I heard she wasn't going to go to Paris." Nate said.

"Blair's upstairs with Yale. I was just going to get them."

Serena brightened even more than before.

"Oh, we'll come with you."

Serena took Nate's hand and the pair followed Jenny up the staircase.

--

Blair giggled as she watched Dan relating his newest book plot to Yale. The baby was in the middle of Blair's bed, sitting up against a mountain of pillows. Yale watched with wide green eyes as Dan paced the room and gesticulated enthusiastically as he spun a tale of intrigue on the streets London with a brilliant heroine named Yale. His hair was mussed and his sleeves rolled up to his forearm.

"So, Yale takes off when she sees Tamara across Trafalgar Square. Max is on her tail. The pair spots the bad guy- bad _girl_, in this case- pushing her way through the crowds, eager to get to the tube station and they know that the moment that Tamara leaves their eyesight everything will be lost." Dan said. "So the two-"

"You have to stop, Cabbage Patch." Blair broke in with a laugh. "She has no clue what you're talking about. Yale doesn't even know London exists. Her world consists of her home and Central Park."

Dan frowned.

"You just made me lose my trail of thought."

Blair shook her head amusedly and managed to catch the time on the clock resting atop her vanity.

"Shit." She muttered. "I was supposed to bring Yale down an hour ago."

"Okay, well let's take Yale down to your mother and hope she's been too busy charming the CEO of Bendel's or Saks or whatever to notice the time lapse." Dan proposed.

He reached for Yale, holding her against his chest. The little girl giggled.

"Hey, Princess, we will finish this story later." He promised.

"Give her to me," Blair said. "And get your jacket on. You still haven't thanked your hostess for inviting you."

Dan transferred Yale to Blair's arms and went about unrolling his sleeves and collecting his suit jacket.

"That's because this ninety-five pound, petite brunette yanked me away in the other direction." He argued.

Blair checked Yale quickly to make sure the girl had no spit-up on her face or clothes. Dan came up behind her, hand on the small of Blair's back.

"Oh, by the way, Cabbage Patch," Blair began, "I weigh a 102 pounds."

* * *

There you go, people. Lilly and Rufus are bound to show up next chapter. And so will a nicer, kinder Eleanor.


	5. Pride, Prejudice and Presents

Well, here's the next bit. It's dedicated to my BFF who happens to be in the hospital as I type. Hope you feel a lot better, S.

* * *

_Waldorf-Rose Apartment_

_December 24, 2010_

_8:18 p.m._

When Dan, Blair and Yale reached the living room, the festivity was in full swing.

Dan saw his father and Lilly conversing animatedly with Eleanor. Some ten feet away, Cyrus Rose, a man Dan had seen only once- at Blair's graduation- talked with Harold Waldorf and Harold's partner Roman.

Dan found it interesting that Blair's parents though divorced and in new relationships, had somehow managed to push past their mountainous emotional baggage and form an honest friendship for Blair's sake. His own parents, broken up by infidelity- real and imagined, physical and emotional- had never quite managed to remain anything but civil after their divorce. That courteousness was all but gone when Rufus starting dating Lilly. Alison Humphrey had been furious.

Blair led Dan over to their parents.

"Rufus, Lilly, it's so nice to see you." Blair said earnestly.

Rufus grinned.

"Likewise as always, Blair."

Lilly and Blair shared a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Blair." Lilly said. She touched Yale's chubby cheek. "And a very merry first Christmas to you, Yale."

Rufus clapped Dan on the back and Lilly gave him a hug.

"We were wondering where you'd run off to." Eleanor said to Blair as she took Yale into her arms.

The brunette smiled brightly.

"I ran into Dan earlier. We went upstairs to get Yale."

"Mrs. Rose," Dan said, offering the designer his hand, "it's nice to see you again. Thank you for inviting me."

Eleanor held Yale to her chest and shook his hand.

"It was no hardship. Lilly and Jennifer are practically family; it would be unfair to have only part of the Humphrey-Van der Woodsens here tonight. Besides, it looks like you and Blair are also friends."

Dan and Blair shared a conspiratorial look that did not go unnoticed by the elder trio.

"So, how's the loft working out for you?" Rufus asked his son.

"It's like being back at St. Jude's. It's nice to be home but I do have a lot of extra space." Dan answered.

"You could always stay at the brownstone." Lilly offered before taking a sip of champagne.

"You and Dad are getting married in a month, Lilly. The last thing you need is one of your adult children living with you."

"Daniel's right, Lilly." Eleanor concurred. "Let him find a roommate to contribute with half of the clutter."

Everyone laughed. To tell the truth, Eleanor had changed for the better after Blair's false pregnancy scandal in junior year. Finally tuned into her daughter's life, Eleanor retooled her priorities and became an _actual_ parent. Blair had been mortified, to say the least, but they'd managed to forge a good relationship in the end. Both mother and daughter learned how to relax and they were happier for it.

"Blair, why don't you go introduce Daniel to your father. I don't think they've met." Eleanor suggested. "And Harold has some news for you."

Blair raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of news?"

Eleanor rolled her eyes in the same way Dan had seen Blair do many times.

"Do I look like I am your father? No. Go and ask him, darling."

"If you'll excuse us," Blair said and proceeded to lead Dan across the room.

* * *

Harold and Cyrus were laughing about dividends when Blair and Dan approached (Roman was looking quite bored and was fiddling with a cufflink).

"Daddy!"

Harold turned towards his pride and joy and gathered Blair up into a strong embrace. He placed a kiss on her temple and gave her a final squeeze before releasing her. Next, Blair and Roman embraced and exchanged a pair of kisses on the cheek as if the two were old friends meeting up for their daily cup of coffee in a Parisian café.

"Oh, Roman, that tie is fabulous. Wherever did you get it?" Blair queried.

Roman and Dan looked at the tie. It was a vibrant Persian green and sapphire blue silk jacquard number that Dan had to admit had a certain attractive flair that fit the man perfectly.

The Frenchman smiled.

"There is this wonderful shop in Calais. I must take you there next time you visit; you will love it."

"Hello. Welcome to our home. I am Cyrus Rose." Blair heard her stepfather say. "Who might you be?"

"Dan Humphrey."

For a moment, Blair felt as if she'd just stepped into Mory's the night before the Game. The testosterone and exclusiveness were palpable.

Cyrus furrowed his brow.

"I don't think I've heard of you before." He said. "Where is your family from?"

"You must excuse our Mr. Rose," Harold interjected. "He can be a bit of a presumptuous elitist. I'm Harold Waldorf. Humphrey, huh? Your father is Rufus Humphrey. You're Lilly's stepson. Well, soon-to-be."

Dan nodded his head once.

"That's right."

"It's great to meet you, Dan." Harold continued. He set a hand on Roman's shoulder. "This is my partner, Roman Delorme."

Harold said nothing else and Dan presumed that Harold was aware of how quickly news of his sexuality had spread; surely Dan would need no clarification as to precisely what kind of partner Roman was.

"A pleasure." Roman said with a smile.

"Likewise." Dan provided.

Cyrus leaned against the Steinway & Sons piano topped off with mounds of pictures of Blair and Yale.

"So, Mr. Humphrey," he began, "where do you go to school?"

Blair barely bit back a groan. Her mother was an evil genius; she knew exactly what she was doing. Eleanor had sent Blair and the man she presumed Blair's potential suitor to meet the three men that- no matter how charismatic and genial- comprised judge, jury and executioner. Poor Dan was on his way toward a thorough interrogation for something as simple as befriending Blair and he didn't even know it.

"Columbia starting January." Dan answered unassumingly.

"Do you live on campus?" Cyrus persisted. "Or with your father? It would be a waste of money to live in one of the dorms when the brownstone is so close, don't you think?"

"Absolutely." Dan agreed. "I live in Brooklyn, actually. My parents bought the loft I grew up in so I've moved in there."

"Do you have a roommate to help cover the costs?" Harold asked. "Since your father owns the place you don't have to worry about rent but utilities and groceries, those costs pile up quickly, in addition to books and tuition."

Dan shook his head.

"I don't have a roommate right now. I moved from Washington about a week ago but it's definitely something that is in my plans. I have a couple of scholarships so tuition and books are covered. And if I need anything else I can work. I used to work at a bookstore back when I attended Evergreen."

"You are such a literati." Blair quipped good-humoredly.

Dan shrugged a shoulder.

"You love it."

"Dan!"

A smiling Jenny, bubbly Serena and reluctant Nate joined the group.

"Hey, Jen." Dan said as he wrapped his arms around his sister. "Hello, Serena."

The statuesque blonde practically bounced into Dan's arms. Blair narrowed her eyes at her former BFF; Jenny took note.

"Archibald." Dan let out, fixing Nate with a harsh stare.

The former track star stuffed his hands into his pockets, subconsciously trying to drum up some of that "aw shucks" charm.

"I heard you got into Columbia." He said. "Congratulations. I'm glad it worked out for you. I'm actually-"

"We're not friends." Dan broke in. "We don't need to do the catching up thing."

Nate's jaw tightened.

"Look, man, I said I was sorry. I didn't know what my dad was going to pull until the last minute-"

"You being sorry wont give me back my admission." Dan pointed out. "Your family screwed me over. And you know what? I probably wouldn't mind half as much if you had at least profited from the whole thing but you didn't even go. I got screwed for nothing."

"What the fuck do you want me to say?" Nate exploded.

Blair took a step forward.

"Enough!" she commanded. She gave a quick glance around the living room. Several guests were glancing in their direction. "It's Christmas Eve, we're at a party and that is _enough_."

Though she knew it would only fuel the already high level of tension, Jenny forked over a brown leather billfold to her brother. Dan opened the wallet to find his driver's license. He palmed his jacket pocket, which was missing the telltale bulge of a wallet.

"My wallet. Where'd you find it?"

Jenny looked at Blair.

"On the floor of Blair's bedroom. Serena, Nate and I were looking for her earlier tonight."

A blush crept up Blair's cheeks, flushing her porcelain skin a soft pink. The tips of Dan's ears turned red and a smile overtook Jenny's lips. Two pairs of blue eyes were turned intently at the brunette duo; Serena and Nate eyed Blair and Dan with a mix of antagonism and envy.

"Thank you for getting this back to me." Dan said, slipping the item back into his pocket. "I would've killed myself looking for it later."

Like any skilled socialite, Blair immediately found a way to deflect the attention from herself onto a new target.

"Daddy, you remember Jenny." She prompted.

Like any good father, Harold followed Blair's lead.

"Of course." He said. "Jenny, you look stunning."

"Thank you. You're quite handsome yourself." Jenny countered. "Roman! I love your tie. Where did you get it?"

Dan smiled; Jenny and Blair truly _were_ friends.

"I was telling Blair that I found it at a little tailor's shop in Calais where I must take the both of you." Roman answered.

"Serena, my dear, that dress was made for you." Harold praised.

Serena pecked Cyrus, Harold and Roman's cheeks.

"I think it's just a tad better than one of your dress shirts." She joked.

"Hello, Nathaniel."

Harold's tone was cold and impersonal. He was obviously aware of the happenings of Blair's junior year and appeared less than pleased with Nate.

"Hello, Mr. Waldorf." Nate countered. "Mr. Rose and Mr. Delorme."

"So, Jenny, we were just talking with your brother."

The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Anything bad he told you about me is a complete and total lie."

Everyone laughed and the mood was much improved.

"Actually, he was just telling us that he's living in Brooklyn." Cyrus said. "Starting at Columbia next month."

Jenny brightened, eager to sing her brother's praises. Truth be told, the two were thick as thieves despite their teasing and friendly competition. Jenny was happy for Dan; she was proud he'd made the best of his attendance at Evergreen and Jenny knew Dan would excel at Columbia.

"Oh. Yeah, he is. And he gets to move back home." Jenny said. "He can now use my empty room as a library to house his massive book collection."

"Do you like to read?" Roman asked, finally jumping into the conversation. "What kind of literature is your favorite?"

Dan cocked his head to the side and considered his response. As an English major, he was interested in the fundamentals of writing. But literature was about more than sentence structure and grammar; it was also about style. The last time he'd seen Blair, Dan had been into British literature, though he'd moved on since then.

"I'm not sure I have a favorite." Dan answered. "I read almost all kinds. But I'm a huge fan of Jed Hall, J.D. Salinger and Thomas Pynchon. You know, postmodern American novelists."

"Hermits." Blair quipped. "Your idols are all hermits. You may as well become a recluse as soon as your first novel hits the shelves."

Everyone turned to Dan who appeared affronted.

"Jed Hall is not a recluse." Dan pointed out. "And I have a ways to go before I'm anywhere near their league."

Blair rolled her eyes.

"Please, Cabbage Patch, you've been published in _The New Yorker_. Six months from now Jed Hall will be sitting in his office in Hanover, reading rave reviews about you in the _New York Times_."

Dan's eyes widened and he took a step closer to the petite heiress.

"Six months from now?" he echoed. "Blair, please tell me that you didn't do what I think you did."

Cyrus leaned in towards Serena, Jenny and Nate.

"_Cabbage Patch_?" Cyrus repeated.

"It's Blair's nickname for Dan." Serena explained brusquely. "Dan hates it."

"Blair," Dan pressed, "you had no right. It wasn't ready."

"I had _every_ right. You gifted it to me; it's mine to do as I please. And it was more than ready, Dan; it was perfect." Blair maintained.

The writer scowled and sighed in frustration

"_My_ idea, _my_ words, _my_ story. It belongs to me."

"Do you honestly want to discuss intellectual property law right now?" Blair demanded. "Besides, ownership is nine-tenths possession. And that story is in my possession."

A pair of furious russet eyes was locked with a set of chocolate defiant ones. Dan and Blair were so engaged in their standoff that they didn't notice Eleanor, Rufus and Lilly joining them.

"Is everything okay here?" Lilly inquired.

Blair shrugged a shoulder.

"Perfectly fine." She answered. "Oh, I see Kati and Is. I'm going to say hello. Excuse me."

Blair marched across the room towards her once-upon-a-time (mostly) loyal followers without so much as a glance back. Dan watched her with fury.

"Pardon me for a few minutes." Dan fumed. "I need some fresh air."

Dan turned in the opposite direction and headed for the elevator. He was lucky to find the elevator car on his floor and quickly stepped inside. The doors were inches from closing when Nate forced his way through.

"You've got to be kidding me." The brunet muttered. "I don't want to talk about it, Archibald. Not with you, anyway. I'm at Columbia now and-"

Nate watched the door close.

"I don't think you're good enough for Blair." He stated plainly. His voice was calm but his jaw was locked tight and there was a vain popping out on his temple.

"What the fuck…how is this any of your business?" Dan demanded. "The only people who have any say in my and Blair's lives are Blair and I. Besides, you're not exactly the model of virtue, you know."

"I know. I know I fucked up. I also know that Blair deserves the best. She's really amazing, you know. She was great in high school, dedicated and loving, but I think she's even better since she went away to Yale. She's an heiress, Humphrey; she's high-class and you're Brooklyn. I'm not saying that's bad but it's not what Blair's used to. She's used to brunches at the Palace, shopping trips to Bendel's, benefits at the Met and summers in the Hamptons. You can't give her that. You can't give her the life to which she's accommodated."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, revealing the lobby. The concierge eyed the two young men as they shuffled past him and out into the busy New York City street.

"Did you ever think that maybe Blair is a better person now because she doesn't _have_ everything you just described? She's just another undergrad at Yale. She lives in a dorm with a roommate. She shares her bedroom and bathroom. Blair spends long weekends either with Jenny and my mother up in Hudson or she helps Eleanor with Yale. Sometimes she sleeps over at Lilly and Dad's place and goes with him to his art gallery. Blair's no longer brunches and Bendel's and the Met and the Hamptons, Nate." Dan commented, his hands stuffed inside his pockets. "You gave her all of that and she was heartbroken in the end. Chuck gave her that with the same results."

"Do you think you can do better?"

Dan paused. He looked down the street towards the large building he'd just exited. He knew that he needed to talk to Blair, to figure out exactly what was going on. Dan liked Blair. He found her immensely attractive, not only physically but also intellectually. And while he had thought that they would take things slowly, become good friends before taking the step into dating, noting how interested Nate Archibald still was in Blair made Dan acknowledge that it was time to jump in feet first. He needed to fight for Blair if he wanted any chance at a relationship with her.

"I don't know." Dan replied honestly. "But I think I've got a hell of a better chance and better track record. I don't have to worry about Vanderbilt rings and opera tickets and Hampton houses; I just have to worry about her. If Blair gives me a chance then…I'll do anything to make her happy."

Nate managed a smile.

"Damn, Humphrey." He muttered. "You're in love with her."

Dan's eyes widened.

"Are you high? I was sure you'd given up the weed back in high school."

Nate laughed.

"Don't be stupid, I've seen the way you look at her, Dan. You can't fake that look and you can't hide it, either." He looked at Dan square in the eye. "She's the love of my life, Dan. It's not Serena; it's Blair. It's always been Blair. I'm going to go back to sea. Thinking about sailing down to Australia for a while, maybe going around the Greek Isles. I want Blair to be happy. Please, take care of her. Make her happy."

Dan was a bit shell-shocked. Nate had just stepped aside; he'd given up Blair forever. Dan appreciated the graciousness of the once arrogant Archibald heir. This was the opportunity Dan had been looking for from the moment he returned to Olympia back in October and realized he missed Blair despite having spent less than an hour with her while in New York. He snapped out of his haze and gave Nate a nod.

"As long as she'll have me, I'll do my best." Dan vowed.

Nate scoffed good-naturedly.

"She will. It's been interesting, Humphrey."

"Yeah, it has."

Nate continued to walk down Park, raising an arm and flagging a cab on the corner of 90th and Park. He opened the taxi's door and got a leg in.

"Archibald!"

Nate turned.

"Yeah?"

Dan scratched the back of his neck.

"I'm not in love with her."

Nate shrugged.

"Not yet."

Dan watched him leave with a smile. He turned and walked back to Blair's apartment Christmas party inside.

_

* * *

_

Waldorf-Rose Apartment

_December 24, 2010_

_9:03 p.m._

Harold had finally managed to pin down Blair to the den. His daughter had been avoiding him since her fight with Dan. Harold had a feeling that neither Dan nor Blair had finished with their piece.

"I don't want to talk about it, Daddy." She stated plainly.

"He's a writer, huh?" Harold pressed on, disregarding his daughter's plea. They needed to talk. "A good one, by your standards."

"He's phenomenal." She admitted.

Harold leaned against the doorjamb.

"And he wrote a story which you have in your possession. You want it to be published; he does not. How did you get it?"

Blair opened one of the desk drawers and fished for the spiral-bound document. She set it on the desktop.

"Dan sent it to me as a birthday present." She answered. "I didn't think he would even remember when it was but…Jenny must've given him my address because it was waiting for me after I left my anthropology class. You have to read it, Daddy, it's so good."

Harold smiled. He held out a hand, palm face-up.

"May I?"

Blair placed the story in his hand. Harold looked at the title page; the story was of yet untitled. He paused when he came to the dedication. It was obviously intended for Blair and though it's presentation was simple and unassuming, as was its writer, the gesture was heartfelt. Harold had spent two decades buying presents for his daughter. All had been beautiful, expensive things that she'd been raised to crave: jewelry, clothes, trips. Once in a while, he managed to finagle something simpler, with meaning, like Blair's first Yale sweatshirt and a gold and ruby ring he'd chosen for her the day she was born, but even those seemed to come with reservations attached.

What Dan had done had been genuine and kind. Something to which Blair was unaccustomed but at the same time, something that filled a part of her that had been missing.

"Blair, this is Dan's story. Legally, you both have a case for ownership. Intellectually, this belongs to him even though it is physically in your possession." He established. "I would suggest that you share profits from publication."

Blair's eyes narrowed dangerously in the way Eleanor's sometimes did.

"You think this about money?" she demanded indignantly. "I don't need money, Dad; it was never my plan to collect on this. And publication isn't guaranteed."

"Then what _is_ this about?"

"It was…my Christmas present for that idiot." She answered simply. "I had John Colin from Simon and Schuster read it. John's here to talk to Humphrey about signing with him as his agent."

Harold could honestly say he was gloriously proud of his daughter. John Colin was a literary agent with one of the world's leading publishing houses. And if he was downstairs, it meant that Dan was well liked by the head honchos at Simon and Schuster and would very likely be signed on the spot. It was a writer's dream and Blair had made it possible for the boy from Brooklyn she'd once belittled.

"Honey, I'm so proud of you." Harold said.

Blair shrugged.

"Not that it matters anymore since Cabbage Patch stormed out of here like a petulant child. He was ready to assume the worst of me, Dad. How can I li-" She paused quickly catching herself and rethinking her language. "How can I be a friend to someone who thinks so little of me?"

Harold took note of the different ways Blair referred to Dan. When she was angry, annoyed or hurt, she addressed him by his surname or by the childish epithet "Cabbage Patch". In this particular conversation, Blair had used all three liberally as if she were trying to sort through her emotions all at once.

"From what I understand, Dan is good man. He's not perfect, Blair, but he obviously cared enough about you to write this masterpiece for you and send it to you for your birthday. I'm sure if he'd known what you were planning, he would've brought you a Christmas present, too."

"He did." She said softly. "I haven't opened it yet. Yale blue paper and Tiffany blue ribbon. It's sitting on my vanity."

Harold smiled.

"Honey, Dan will appreciate your gesture when you both sit down and talk calmly, I know it. Now, let's get back to your mother's party before she sends Dorota after us."

Blair smiled and took back the manuscript.

"Lets."

* * *

When Dan made his way back to the party, Eric had joined in. He sat sandwiched between Serena and Jenny, both of whom, along with Lilly and Rufus, were talking with Eleanor about the upcoming nuptials.

"Well, I couldn't pick anybody but my son as my best man." Rufus said. "Though I have to tell you, Eleanor, I'm wondering what he'll write down for his toast."

"Blair gave a beautiful speech at my wedding last year." Eleanor said. "I'm sure Dan will do the same at yours. Besides, you're fortunate that your son is a writer."

"I'm just happy we found a weekend that Jenny, Blair and Eric can come down from Yale and Brown." Lilly added. "I can't imagine we'd be able to have a wedding without half of our children."

Serena frowned.

"I'm sure Blair could've gotten Jenny's class notes from one of her friends."

Lilly turned to her daughter.

"Absolutely true, Serena, but I've seen Blair grow up and she is very much like a daughter to me." She admonished lightly.

Dan smiled as he came to a stop beside his soon-to-be stepmother.

"Dan, we were wondering when you'd get back." Lilly said.

"Have you seen Blair?" he queried. "She and I need to talk."

Jenny met her brother's eyes.

"She caught up with Kati and Isabel for a while before Chuck got here." She responded.

Everyone's expressions were equally marked with displeasure. Eleanor hadn't invited the younger Bass but Chuck came anyway claiming he was standing in for his father while Bart Bass handled business in Monaco. Eleanor courteously refrained from pointing out that Bartholomew Bass hadn't been on guest list either.

Dan shifted his gaze across the large living room, seeking out the petite brunette before Chuck could torment her.

"If I were you," Eleanor suggested, "I'd check the den. Blair will make her way in there if she needs a few moments to collect herself."

"Thank you."

Dan wormed his way through the crowd and spotted Blair standing by the foot of the staircase talking with a man at least thirty years her senior. Dan took a deep breath and prepared himself to apologize profusely.

"Blair," Dan said tentatively, "may we talk?"

He half expected Blair to fix him with one of her patented glares and send him on his merry way but she gave him a sort of wistful smile and nodded once.

"Dan, I'd like you to meet John Colin, he's a literary agent for Simon and Schuster. John, this is Dan Humphrey." Blair introduced. "Dan's the writer I was telling you about."

The two men shook hands.

"Dan, I'd love to talk to you about your untitled manuscript. It's probably the best piece of writing I've read in a long time. We're really interested in it and in you; I think you've got promise." John said.

"Uh, that sounds great." Dan said. "Could you excuse Blair and me for a moment?"

John waved his hand to indicate he was okay with the idea and Dan took Blair's hand and led her a few feet away. Dan leaned in towards Blair, wanting to keep their conversation private, unlike their previous blowout in front of their friends and family.

"John Colin from Simon and Schuster? I thought you'd sold the story already." He said.

Blair shrugged an elegant shoulder.

"I never said I did any such thing." She replied. "You assumed. This story is your ticket into publication, Humphrey; I would never sabotage that. I'm not that much of a heartless bitch."

Dan ran a thumb across the back of Blair's hand.

"Blair-"

She pulled away.

"Go talk to John, Dan." She instructed. "And Merry Christmas."

Blair left him no opportunity to say anything; she turned and walked away. Dan knew she was angry; Blair had every right to be. He also knew he was sorry and all he wanted to do was apologize and get past this so he and Blair could move forward with…whatever it was they were.

"Dan, can I call you Dan?" John said, interrupting the young writer's thoughts. "How about that talk?"

* * *

By the time midnight rolled around, the Waldorf-Rose apartment was nearly vacant.

Jenny and Serena sat in a deserted corner, chatting about Serena's newest movie role. Eric, Rufus and Cyrus talked football and tried to explain the game to Roman. Eleanor and Lilly jubilantly discussed the wedding and went over some last minute details concerning Lilly's dress. Harold talked to an old law firm partner by the piano.

Dan sat in an armchair alone. It had taken the better part of two hours but, with Harold's help, Dan had managed to iron out a deal with Simon and Schuster. His novella- his most personal body of work which had been inspired by, written for and dedicated to Blair Waldorf- would hit the bookstore shelves in a little over six months.

His dream had come true. All thanks to Blair. And Dan wasn't enjoying one bit of it.

Blair had avoided him the rest of the night, fluttering from one guest to the next, not deigning to give him so much as a passing glance. Her solemn mood had darkened Dan's own and everyone took notice.

Dan closed his eyes and sighed.

"Dan."

His eyes popped open and met Lilly's kind gaze.

"We're going." She said. "We have a car waiting downstairs. Would you like a ride back to Brooklyn or do you want to spend the night at the brownstone?"

Dan gave a longing glance at the Rose's staircase.

"Actually, Lilly, I have some unfinished business with Blair so…I think I'm going to stay."

"I don't think she's coming back downstairs, man." Eric supplied. "I know Blair and you'll have a better chance of talking to her when she's cooled off."

"I'm not moving." Dan stated. He turned towards Eleanor and Cyrus. "As long as it's okay with you."

Cyrus shook his head once, not bothering to hide the soft smile that had appeared on his face. He and Blair would never be super-close but she was his stepdaughter and Cyrus wanted the best for her. He approved of the young man before him. Having already spoken with Harold, both men came to the conclusion that should Blair want to be in a relationship with Dan Humphrey, she would have their blessing.

"You're welcome to stay, Dan. But, as Eric said, I'm not sure Blair will come downstairs again tonight." Cyrus said.

"You should go up to her room, though." Roman suggested. "Knock on the door. You never know; Blair might surprise you and let you in."

* * *

Dan spent the next three hours sitting in the hallway outside Blair's bedroom. He'd done as Roman had suggested but the outcome hadn't been what he'd hoped for. Blair was still holed up inside her room.

Eleanor had come around thirty minutes into his vigil and brought him a hand-woven alpaca blanket Dan was sure cost more than his dress shoes. Harold had showed up fifteen minutes later with a pillow.

Inside the room, Blair lay atop her comforter, deep in thought. For the past three hours, she'd been getting calls on her cell phone from both of her stepfathers asking her to please talk to Dan. The last call she'd answered was from Cyrus; it was short and straight to the point.

"_Blair, open the door and talk to the guy before he freezes his ass off sitting in our hallway,_" he'd said before hanging up.

Blair climbed out of bed and padded over to the door, nearly tripping over her Christian Louboutin pumps. She toed them under the chair in front of her vanity and reached for the doorknob.

Dan's chocolate-colored eyes met Blair's matching set as soon as the door opened. She was still in her gown from the party but her hair was loose about her shoulders and her face was fresh and clean, devoid of any makeup. Dan thought she looked beautiful.

"Quite a set-up you've got." She said, gesturing toward the pillow and blanket.

Dan smiled.

"Your parents are all about the comfort." He quipped. Dan rose to his feet. "I'm sorry, Blair."

The brunette returned his grin.

"I know." She acknowledged. "So am I."

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Dan queried.

He looked every bit contrite and Blair didn't want to relive the past, she wanted to move forward. Reliving the past was what had she'd done in high school and Blair wasn't that insecure girl anymore.

"No. I know what happened, Dan. I blindsighted you and you went on the defensive. We both assumed the worst and switched to our default settings." She explained. "I'm sorry and you're sorry. I forgive you and I hope you forgive me-"

"Of course I do." Dan broke in.

"Now we can move on." She concluded. "Have you really been out here for three hours?"

Dan nodded.

"I was hoping you'd feel a little bit of that Christmas spirit and talk to me. Plus I wanted to thank you for giving me the best Christmas present ever."

"I thought that honor belonged to Vanessa who got that story published in _The_ _New Yorker_." Blair countered.

"That was the best at the time. But you, Blair, just got me a deal with one of the biggest publishers in the world. My novella, _our_ novella, is gonna be published by next summer. How is that not the best present ever?"

Blair bit back a yawn.

"You deserve it. You're not heading back to Brooklyn are you?"

"I don't know. I might just crash on Dad and Lilly's couch for the night." He replied.

Blair took a step forward and clasped one of his hand in hers. She gave it a squeeze.

"Come on, Cabbage Patch." She said and then kissed him.

Dan slanted his mouth against Blair's. His arms wrapped around her tiny waist, pressing her small frame against his body. Blair's hands tugged at his shirt, pulling it free from his slacks' waistband and then slipped under to run across the tight muscles of Dan's torso. Dan groaned when Blair ran her perfectly manicured nails across his chest; he backed her up against her bedroom door. Blair whimpered as Dan trailed kisses down her neck and she slid a hand from under his oxford and yanked his tie, as golden as her dress. Blair made a mental note to thank Jenny for the foresight.

"My bed's a hell of a lot more comfortable than Rufus and Lilly's sofa."

* * *

And that's the end of that chapter, ladies and gentlemen. Hope you liked it. I know that Eleanor is a little out of character but the woman has to have a heart someplace. Besides, it's my story, my rules. I can make Blair's family a touch more supportive if I like.

By the way, I'm aware of how cruel it is to have Dan and Blair hook up off scene. I appologize.


	6. Progession

Sorry for making you guys wait but I figure that taking about a month to write a good chapter is better than taking a couple of days but only producing something mediocre. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this. The time table is a bit accelerated but I can't honestly fit everything in. This is dedicated to my brother, who teases me as much as Eric teases Blair.

* * *

**Saint Michael's Church**

**February 5, 2011**

**5:57 p.m.**

Blair Waldorf exited the large Episcopalian church with a smile on her face.

It was finally done; Rufus Humphrey and Lillian van der Woodsen were husband and wife at last, an event over twenty years in the making. She could spot Mr. and Mrs. Humphrey getting into the Lincoln Town Car that would get them to the Plaza for their reception. Serena, Eric, Jenny and Dan were seeing their parents off and waiting for their own car to arrive.

It took Blair all of ten seconds to wheedle her way through the one hundred attendants and reach Dan. She set a small hand on his arm and waited for him to acknowledge her. Dan smiled as soon as Blair neared; he could smell her perfume, a mix of lavender and orchids that was soft and comforting. He moved his arm from under her grasp and slipped it around her waist.

"You know you're riding with me, right?" Dan said, turning to look at his girlfriend.

Blair raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was family only. I was going to take a car with my parents."

Dan pulled her to him, hands on her hips. "Blair, you are family. You're my girlfriend and Lilly's always thought of you as another daughter."

Blair laughed. "I'm glad it's all just wishful thinking on Lilly's part. Can you imagine if she was my mother? Our relationship would hold a slight incestual tone." She quipped. Blair tugged at the lapels of Dan's suit. "You look good."

Dan wore a navy suit, matching vest, French-cuff dress shirt and cobalt-blue tie. His hair was neatly combed, showcasing the barest of curls.

"Six grand will make any guy look good." Dan countered. "You, on the other hand, always manage to make looking phenomenal effortless. That dress looks amazing on you."

Blair grinned. Despite the cold New York City weather, Blair wore a sleeveless saffron-colored dress that fell to the knees under a navy-blue herringbone coat. Her hair, rich and glossy by nature, was pulled back into a simple ponytail. It was an uncomplicated presentation, but the radiance coming from the brunette was all of the adornment she needed.

"You like it? Roman gave it to me for Christmas." She said. "I thought it would be nice to wear to the wedding."

"You look gorgeous, Blair." Dan said. He leaned down and kissed his girlfriend.

"Hey!" Jenny's voice broke in. "I want to say hello to my best friend, too, Dan."

The pair broke apart and Blair turned towards the Humphrey daughter. The two embraced tenderly.

"You look beautiful, J." Blair said, taking in her friend's cobalt dress.

"Likewise, B." Jenny supplied. "You're riding with us, right? There's something I just have to tell you."

Eric took his turn next, wrapping his arms around the brunette he'd considered a second sister since he was in diapers.

"You saw her yesterday, Jenny." He said good-naturedly. "I haven't seen Blair since New Year's. Good to see you, Blair."

"Oh, Eric, it's so good to see you. How's Brown?" Blair queried.

The young man shrugged. "It's Brown, you know? I'm supposed to be working on an anthro paper for Monday but I figure since you already know the basics, I can just ask you to help."

Blair laughed. Serena approached her, confident in a way that was second nature to the model and actress. The two former best friends hugged and shared a smile.

"So, whose runway will have the pleasure of your presence, S?" Blair queried as a second Town Car pulled up to the curb. "I need to get tickets."

"Catherine Malandrino." Serena replied. "And, of course, Eleanor Waldorf."

"I'll pencil them in."

Dan placed a hand on the small of Blair's back. "We should all get going." He said and led his girlfriend to the car.

* * *

**The Plaza Hotel**

**February 5, 2011**

**9:06 p.m.**

Blair plopped herself into Dan's lap.

The reception was large, a good three hundred guests, and, unlike many of the Upper East Side's gatherings, it was actually fun. The dinner had been delicious, a menu chosen by Lilly on Rufus and Harold's suggestions. Dan's toast was brief but meaningful. He spoke of Rufus and Lilly's love and commitment, which was time tested and true. Dan talked of their devotion, of their joys in each other and of the family the two had formed together. He cracked jokes about Rufus' songs (the ones inspired by Lilly, at least) and Lilly's partiality for scruffy, curly-haired musical types. Everyone laughed; everyone was warmed to the core.

As Dan was not a fan of dancing, he spent a good portion of his time watching his beautiful girlfriend twirling around the dance floor with Jenny, Eric and even Carter Baizen (who was friendly enough and had, through unknown means, secured an invitation). She'd managed to sneak in a dance with Rufus as well. Dan had spent a few songs on the dance floor with Blair, mostly slow songs, where he could wrap his arms around her and hold her close as they swayed to the music.

Blair had finally taken a breather and was relaxing in Dan's embrace.

"Where are Rufus and Lilly going for their honeymoon?" Blair queried. "I never found out."

"Tahiti, I think." Dan answered. "Once Dad started on beaches and bikinis and Lilly, I kind of tuned out. That's so not what I want to hear about my stepmom."

Blair laughed and then sobered. She met Dan's eyes.

"Is it weird for you to think of Lilly van der Woodsen as your stepmother when you used to be head over heels in love with her daughter?" she asked.

Dan laced his fingers with Blair's. "No. Blair, what Serena and I had is over. The Humphrey-van der Woodsen union people expected has happened. And it was the right one. I'm not in love with Serena anymore. I love you, Blair."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck, the fresh scent of the Armani cologne Lilly had gotten him for Christmas, filling her nostrils.

"I love you, too, Dan."

"Lovebirds, I hate to break up the googly-eyes connection but Mom is seriously worried we're going to have to turn the hose on you two." Eric quipped, plopping into the chair across the table from Dan.

Blair raised her head and sent one of her patented glares Eric's way.

Eric simply grinned. "Hey, I never found out how it is that you and Jenny got to be besties, Blair."

Blair shrugged. "After Serena convinced me to stay post the whole..." the brunette trailed off, none too content on relieving a humiliating and tragic time in her life, "debacle in junior year, Jenny came up to me and apologized. I hated her; I wasn't about to forget that she humiliated me in front of my friends. I didn't forgive her but she kept on insisting. And when I needed someone that summer, Jenny was there, even when Serena wasn't. She grew on me."

"Like a fungus." Eric jested. "If she took such a harsh stance on you why do you think she came back to you so soon after?"

"I don't know." Blair answered honestly. "You'd have to ask, J."

"Ask Dan." Jenny piped in as she joined her two brothers and friend. "He's the one who sat me down and set me straight."

"Jen," Dan said, "don't exaggerate."

"Then what did happen?" Blair questioned.

"Look, I heard about the whole thing, obviously. I honestly fell horrible about my family's bit in the situation." Dan explained. "I didn't like who Jenny was becoming and even though you and I weren't on our best terms, and even though you'd been nothing but a primo bitch to me up until then, I didn't think you deserved it, Blair. So Jenny and I talked and...you know, the rest is history."

Blair looked at her boyfriend, chocolate eyes wide, lips slightly pursed. In one quick swoop, Blair captured Dan's lips with her own. Dan's arms tightened around Blair's waist and she responded by parting her lips and allowing his tongue access to her mouth.

"Whoa!" Jenny said. She and Eric looked around the ballroom to find some of the guests staring at Dan and Blair. "If you two keep doing that, we're going to have to get you a room upstairs."

"Hey, I only get to see her on the weekends." Dan defended as he and Blair separated.

Eric leaned back in his seat. "What time are you guys heading back to the loft?" he queried. "I figured we could all pack into a cab to Brooklyn, split the fare."

Thinking it would be all too cruel to have the newlyweds spend their wedding night on a plane to French Polynesia, Eric, Jenny and Serena would be staying with Dan in Williamsburg, allowing Rufus and Lilly to stay in the brownstone by themselves and enjoy their first night of connubial bliss.

"Five people in the backseat of one taxicab?" Blair posed incredulously. "We're going to have to take one of the cars or split up into two groups."

"I didn't know you were staying with us tonight." Eric countered. "I thought you'd spend the night at your place, you know, and it'd be Dan, Jenny, Serena and me in Brooklyn for the night. Four people do fit in the backseat of a taxi; we'd be crammed but we'd fit."

Blair glared at her pseudo-brother. "And have your sister all over Dan?" she posed. "Uh uh. Your sister's ass isn't getting anywhere close to my boyfriend's lap."

Eric, Jenny and Dan all busted into laughter. Blair frowned; she was being serious, dammit.

"You make Serena out to be some sort of succubus." Eric managed to get out. "Blair, you'd have to be blind, deaf, mute and dead not to notice how much Dan is into you. And my sister is a blonde but she's not that big of an airhead."

"Have you seen how she's been acting recently?" Jenny reminded him. "I just think...maybe she wants what you have, B. You know? The grass is always greener type of thing."

"Do we really have to discuss this again?" Dan said. "I'm over Serena, I have been for a long time, and I have no intention of ever getting back together with her."

Blair smiled and shifted in Dan's lap as she reached for her glass of champagne. The crystal flute had just touched her lips when she felt Dan's reaction to her pressing against her buttocks. Her grin widened. Whatever bit of insecurity had been dredged up in the previous conversation was now exhausted.

"So, J, what were you going to tell me before?" Blair queried.

The blonde furrowed her brow. "Outside the church?"

Blair nodded and leaned back into Dan.

Jenny brightened. "I just wanted to ask where Upper East Siders got their baby gifts."

Blair's eyes widened. "Lilly's pregnant? Seriously?" She turned to Dan who was wearing a smirk identical to his sister's. "You'll definitely be the one babysitting."

"Why?"

"Jenny and Blair are in Connecticut and I'm in Rhode Island." Eric provided. "I know Serena's in the city, too, but she's not really good with babies."

"Besides," Jenny piped in, "It'll be good practice for when you two...you know."

The two people in question blanched. "What?" Dan let out while a stunned Blair stammered, "Pardon?"

Jenny and Eric shared a look.

"Never mind." Jenny backpedaled with a shake of her head. "I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's pretend I didn't say anything."

Blair set down the champagne flute and reached for her clutch. It was a stylish navy patent leather number from her mother's newest collection. She slid out of Dan's lap. "I'm going to the powder room." She said.

"How Victorian of you." Eric teased as Blair passed by him. "Who says powder room anymore?"

Blair punched his shoulder and continued walking. Dan watched Blair go, entranced by her. It had been a long time since he'd felt like he was feeling now, as if he couldn't possibly get enough of Blair in his lifetime. It was a great feeling.

* * *

Blair checked her makeup in the bathroom mirror one last time and tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear before she stepped out into the hall. She'd taken but a few steps when a hand stilled her. Blair turned around to find Chuck Bass.

"Chuck. Hello. What do you want?" she queried calmly.

He cocked his head and assessed her appearance for a second. "You look...cheerful."

Blair raised an eyebrow. "Am I supposed to look miserable?"

"No, but you just attended the wedding of one of the Upper East Side's premier socialites to a nobody. If that union isn't skewed and doomed to fail, I don't know what is." Chuck said. His eyes darkened. "But I don't expect much sympathy for my point of view since you're dating the nobody's loser son. Come on, Blair, you used to make fun of this guy in high school. You hated him. Do you really want to be like Serena that badly? You have to fuck whomever she's fucked?"

Blair pulled away. "My relationship with my boyfriend is none of your business. And no aspect of it has anything to do with Serena! Now, if that's all you had to say, I'll be getting back to Dan."

"You used to be Queen Bee." Chuck observed impetuously. "You used to rule the city. You would have never dreamed of slumming it with that wannabe writer- not even in your worst nightmares. What happened?"

"You did. You came and very literally fucked up my life." Blair retorted angrily. "Besides, I'm not the person I used to be. I don't need you to save me; I don't want to be saved, especially not at such a high price. Now, my writer is waiting for me. Goodbye, Chuck."

Blair turned to leave but Chuck stopped her again.

"Blair, you can't possibly see a future for yourself with Humphrey. And you definitely can't be all that into him, not like you were with Nate and me." Chuck insisted. He wrapped a hand around her wrist, pulling her to him. "I...I love you, Blair. Even after all this time."

Blair looked into Chuck's eyes, so fierce and full of determination. She didn't hate him; they had been friends too long for that. Blair forgave him his mistakes, even though they had cost her deeply. However, she was not ready to be his friend again, and she might not ever be ready.

"I don't love you." Blair said. "Not even a little bit, Chuck, not anymore. I would appreciate it if you didn't corner me like this anymore. I'm dating Dan Humphrey. I'm happy; Dan makes me happy."

"What about Nate? What do you think he's going to say when he find out?"

Blair smiled softly. "Nate knows, Chuck; he knew before Dan and I knew. And he is surprisingly supportive. I don't expect you to understand, much less accept, my relationship with Dan but I do expect you to respect my decision. We are over, Chuck; we have been for a long time." She extricated herself from his grasp. "I have to get back to the reception. I'll be seeing you."

The hotelier's son somberly watched her go. "No," he said, "you won't. Goodbye, Blair."

Blair slipped into the chair beside Dan's and reached for the young author's hand. She gave it a squeeze. Dan smiled at her and she returned the gesture and in that moment, Blair knew she had made the right decision.

* * *

**Humphrey Loft**

**February 6, 2011**

**1:08 a.m.**

Blair sat on the large bed and slipped off her shoes. She was removing her earrings, pearls once again, when Dan entered the room. His suit jacket was draped across the back of the armchair situated in the corner. His vest was unbuttoned and his tie hung unknotted around his neck.

"You were gone a long time." Dan said as he watched Blair set her earrings inside the Tiffany jewelry box she kept atop his dresser. "At the reception."

"I ran into Chuck," she said. "We talked."

"Hmm." Dan slipped off his tie and dropped it beside the jewelry box. He shucked his vest and belt onto the armchair.

"_Hmm_?" Blair mocked. "Just ask me what he and I talked about, already. I know you want to know."

"Of course I do," Dan admitted. "But I trust you. If you want me to know then you'll let me know."

He took a seat on the end of the bed and bent down to unlace his shoes. He felt the mattress dip lightly under Blair's weight and then her arms were wrapped around his torso. Dan leaned back against her.

"Chuck said Lilly and Rufus' marriage was doomed, that I wanted so badly to be like Serena that I was slumming it by being with you. That you and I don't have future and that Nate would be displeased when he found out." Blair related. "He also said he loved me."

"Hmm."

Blair resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his monosyllabic nature. "I said that I didn't love him. I asked him to please leave me alone. I told Chuck that you make me happy. You do, Cabbage Patch."

He scoffed and his eyes traveled to the bookshelf by the window where Cedric sat proudly. Next to him was London, Blair's own Cabbage Patch Kid. How typical, Blair's doll had a perfectly normal, if not upper-crust, sounding name.

"You make me happy, too."

* * *

The five occupants of Dan's apartment spent Sunday relaxing and having fun. Jenny cooked a late breakfast with Eric's help while Serena and Blair sat at the kitchen island and jokingly made ridiculous demands as to the food's preparation; Dan simply rolled his eyes amusedly and continued reading the New York Times.

Jenny and Serena went shopping in the afternoon, mostly in boho-chic shops Vanessa had shown them. Blair helped Eric write his biological anthropology paper and Dan met with Vanessa at their favorite café to catch up.

They all came together in the early evening to say goodbye to Eric who was taking the six o'clock train from Penn Station back to Providence, and the four remaining young adults returned to Williamsburg where they held an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon (Blair's brilliant idea, of course) and fell asleep in the living room.

* * *

**The University Theatre**

**May 19, 2011**

**8:29 p.m.**

Blair rushed out onto York Street and into her father's arms. She looked nothing like the typically collected girl Harold had known; Blair wore jeans and a crème silk blouse under a knitted gray sweater. Her face was devoid of makeup but she was happy and that made her shine in spades.

"You were marvelous, Darling." Harold praised.

"Thank you, Daddy." Blair replied.

Blair was starring as Maggie in the Dramat's production of _Cat_ _on_ _a_ _Hot_ _Tin_ _Roof_. Acting was second nature to Blair; she'd been embracing some form of it since she was a young girl, masking her feelings and putting on a performance for the rest of the world. Now that she was all grown up, she found acting to be a nice escape, just not something she'd want to pursue as a career.

Pulling away, Blair turned her attention to the twin six-year-old boys standing beside her father. Blair found out that Harold and Roman were adopting on Christmas Day while she and Dan joined her parents for breakfast. Growing up as an only child had been lonely for the brunette, and while she was happy for her father and Roman and excited at the prospect of another sibling, a part of Blair couldn't help but wonder if maybe she'd be pushed out of Harold's life, replaced by the newest addition to the Waldorf family.

It turned out that she had nothing to worry about. Harold kept her involved with weekly updates on his and Roman's progress. Both had wanted Blair to be in Paris when the twins arrived from Cambodia in late January but it hadn't been possible. Harold and Roman had brought the twins to New Haven to meet Blair two weeks into February, and the three Waldorf children had hit it off immediately. While Pierre and Philippe spoke English quite well, they were much more fluent in French and preferred to communicate in said language.

"Bonjour, Philippe et Pierre." Blair said cheerfully.

Pierre stepped forward first, dressed in jeans and a green polo as opposed to his brother who wore blue, and embraced his older sister. "Bonjour, Blair."

Though she saw them rarely, Blair had already learned to distinguish the two boys; Pierre had the barest hint of a scar at his hairline.

"Bonjour. Blair." Philippe echoed as he and the Yalie hugged.

"We thought we'd have a Waldorf family dinner." Harold said. "As long as you don't have any prior commitments."

Blair raised an eyebrow. "What could be more important than you three?" she questioned.

Harold smiled. "Dan Humphrey." He answered cheekily. "He might be up here visiting."

"It's Thursday; Dan has a religious philosophy paper due tomorrow." Blair informed her father. "He came to see me opening night and he says he'll be here for my final performance."

Harold nodded. "He's a good kid. Now, how about we go to Mory's?"

Blair slipped into her dorm room two hours later. Her roommate was out for the week; she'd mentioned something about a family emergency in San Francisco. Blair collapsed on her bed, relishing in the fact that she had no Friday classes. She'd started settling in when her cell phone rang. She knew immediately who it was; she'd programmed "Moon River" as Dan's identifying ring tone after they discussed Blair's favorite film one night and Blair concluded that Dan was Fred.

Reaching into her handbag, Blair extracted the mobile device and answered. "Hi."

"Hello." Dan's voice was soothing, even through the phone line. "How was the show tonight?"

"Good. Daddy brought the boys. I just got back from dinner with the Waldorf men." Blair replied. "He asked about you. About us." She relaxed into her down pillows. "I told him we were doing great, considering we have a long-distance relationship. He was pleased. Philippe and Pierre say hello."

The next forty minutes were filled with anecdotes about the time elapsed since they'd last seen each other. Blair told Dan about the annoying guy in her chemistry class and Dan informed Blair of his latest literary workshop and Lilly's pregnancy which was in its eighth month. Their goodbyes were cheerless, filled with longing. Blair set her cell phone on her desk and went about her nighttime routine, changing into her nightgown. Making sure to lock her door and move her course packets out of the way, lest she trip over them getting out of bed, Blair slipped between her Pratesi sheets (she might be just another undergraduate living in a dorm but that didn't mean she couldn't do it in style) and reached for the signed copy of Truman Capote's _Breakfast_ _at_ _Tiffany's_ that had been Dan's Christmas present. She wasn't sure how much he paid for it at the obscure bookshop where he'd found it, but Blair was grateful. She opened the book and read a few pages before surrendering to sleep.

* * *

I've already started working on the next chapter which will feature the birth of the Humphrey/van der Woodsen baby and the return of Nate.


	7. Break Up and Make Up

Another chapter down. This chapter would have been done weeks ago if my computer hadn't delighted in torturing me by erasing it all and making me start from scratch. That being said, I have a few issues to address. Firstly, this story follows neither the book nor the TV show's time/story lines strictly. I suppose it is quite faithful up to "Roman Holiday" or so and then diverges into my own personal fantasy world with bits and pieces from other episodes and the books thrown in for plot purposes. Secondly, while I said that Blair no longer considered Serena her best friend, I didn't say the same held true for Serena. In fact, Serena continues to be a pretty good friend, as you will witness in this chapter. And with that, I leave you to the good (or so I hope) part.

This chapter is dedicated to my friend, N, for reasons which she knows.

P.S. This is also my first quasi-sex scene. It was awkward to write but, according to my best friend, not half-bad to read. So...

* * *

**Mount Sinai Hospital**

**June 5, 2011**

**2:18 a.m.**

Blair looked at the infant with admiration. The newest member of the Humphrey family was as adorable a baby as she had ever seen, inheriting both of his parents' good looks.

"You look like you could use some of this."

Blair turned to her right and found Nate standing there, two cups of Starbucks coffee in his hands. He offered her the largest one and smiled. "Soy latte," he said.

Blair took the venti latte with a smile. "Thanks. I've got to say that I was surprised to see you here, Nate."

"I know. I'm surprised I'm here myself. Vanessa and I were having dinner when Dan called. I didn't want to leave her alone and Humphrey didn't mind if I stayed." Nate said. "But it has been a long couple of hours."

Nate returned to Manhattan in late April. He had been walking through Central Park when he literally ran into Vanessa, interrupting her NYU student film shoot. After receiving a very thorough scolding from the pretty Brooklyn native, which included a lengthy tirade about how the privileged always felt as if they had the right to disturb the comings and goings of the regular people, Nate apologized and asked her out for coffee. Surprisingly, Vanessa accepted. The two had been dating since then. Blair had watched them sitting beside each other in the waiting room as they all lingered about, eagerly anticipating the birth of Rufus and Lily's child; Nate and Vanessa looked content together.

"I'm happy for you." Blair said.

"I really like her, Blair. Vanessa's…she's amazing." Nate confessed. He sipped his drink. "I don't feel like I'm fighting to meet some expectation. It feels like it's…"

"Easy," Blair finished for him. "Natural, effortless. Like it fits. I know what you mean; I feel the same way with Dan. We argue and fight but it never feels like we have to work to be happy. We love each other, and that seems like it is enough."

Nate watched her for a moment. "You two will be very happy together, I think. Dan knows how navigate the UES. Eleanor, Harold, Cyrus and Roman already like him." He looked at the baby and smiled. "He's got Humphrey's hair."

Blair laughed. Sure enough, Baby Humphrey had the same curls of rich russet, almost ebony, that his older brother possessed. "He does."

Nate sighed and tugged at his navy Ralph Lauren blazer. "Well, I'm going to get going; Vanessa's waiting for me and she's got a long day ahead of her; I want her to get some sleep." He embraced his former girlfriend. "It was nice to see you, Blair. Humphrey's good for you, don't let him go."

"I don't plan to." Blair replied. "Vanessa's good for _you_, Nate. Maybe we could all got to lunch next week. Thanks again for the coffee."

Nate pulled away and grinned, looking every bit as handsome as he had when he was attending St. Jude's. "Humphrey's a lucky guy."

Blair shrugged a shoulder. "I'm a lucky girl."

Nate had been gone all of forty seconds before Blair felt an all-too-familiar pair of arms wrap around her waist. The solid feel of Dan's body against hers was reassuring.

"Christopher Samuel." Dan uttered in her ear, his voice husky from exhaustion.

"They finally agreed on a name! Christopher Samuel Humphrey," she repeated, "I like it."

"Samuel was my grandfather's name. He really liked Lilly; Grandpa was disappointed that she and Dad didn't work out." Dan revealed. He glanced at the nursery where his baby brother lay in a glass bassinet, wrapped in a pale blue blanket. "It's strange to think that just a few hours ago Chris was still inside Lilly."

"Strange but amazing?" Blair suggested.

"Strange but amazing." Dan concurred.

The two remained silent, watching the neonatal nurses tending to the fourteen newborns housed in the nursery. A red-faced girl at the end of the first row clutched at her rose-colored hospital-issued blanket and a bald smushed-faced boy in the center of the back row refused to stop crying despite the nurses' best efforts.

"I want one."

Dan could do nothing but blink at his girlfriend's proclamation. He forced his brain to slow, to stop panicking, to gather up his rapid thinking and form a coherent thought. "What?"

Blair set her coffee on the ledge of the viewing window and turned to face him. There was no hint of hesitation or regret in her expression, just plain honestly and determination, two of her best qualities.

"I want a baby." Blair repeated. She reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together in a comforting gesture. "Not _now_, but sometime in the future. I've always wanted children, Dan, that has never changed and will never change. And if that is something…if you _don't_, then you'd best tell me now."

Dan breathed deep. Of all the places where this conversation could have taken place, it was happening in the Klingenstein Pavilion of Mount Sinai Hospital, before a little over a dozen newborns- his brother included- while Dan wore his favorite pair of beat-up sneakers, worn jeans and vintage Columbia University tee, hair mussed and showcasing thick curls. Blair, on the other hand, looked nothing short of fashionable in a sleeveless green dress that fell to the knee and a pair of black Dior flats. Her hair was perfectly coiffed and loose about her shoulders.

"Blair, this is not the place I imagined us having this talk." Dan admitted. One look at Blair let Dan know that the brunette had jumped to the wrong conclusion. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm not trying to avoid giving you an answer, Blair." He sighed. "I hadn't really thought about it much, to tell you the truth. I can't tell you how many children I want or when I think I should have them. What I can tell you is that…I'd like to have the opportunity to try and be as good a father as my dad has been. And I would really like if I could have that chance with you."

Blair cupped Dan's cheek and kissed him deeply. The two remained wrapped up in each other, feeling the weight of their discussion.

"Let's go before we warp these infants' fragile little minds." Dan said.

She giggled. "I doubt they can even see us, Cabbage Patch," she argued. "Come on, my place is closer."

**

* * *

**

Dorchester Hotel

**July 12, 2011**

**3:29 a.m.**

She knew it would happen sometime soon; their relationship couldn't be rosy and perfect forever. What was a real surprise, however, was the extent to which everything had shot to shit.

Serena rubbed at her sleepy eyes as she sat up in the plush bed, phone cradled between her ear and shoulder, listening to a borderline hysterical Blair.

Serena's stepbrother and best friend had taken a trip to France. The plan was to stay with Harold, Roman and the boys for a couple of weeks, before making their way to Paris for another ten days. It appeared that the first half of the arrangement had gone down without a hitch; the second bit was not so fortunate.

"Blair, sweetie, I need you to breathe for me." Serena instructed calmly. "What happened exactly?"

There were a few more sobs before Blair stammered out an answer. "_We had a fight, a __**huge**__ fight, S, and…Oh God. It's over. We're over._"

The despair and heartbreak in Blair's voice winded the actress. "B, it's going to be okay. You and Dan will just sit and talk it all out when the sun comes up and-"

"_He left, Serena_," Blair choked out, "_He flew back to New York. He's not coming back._"

Serena glanced at the clock on the nightstand and threw off the duvet. "Okay. B, listen to me: you need to calm down. I'm going to catch the first train outta here and I'll be in Paris by nine, nine-thirty at the latest. It's all going to be okay, Blair. I promise."

"_Thank you, S._"

Serena smiled sadly. "You're welcome, B. See you soon, sweetie."

Serena hung up and then placed a call to the concierge service downstairs. After conveying to the very efficient man her intentions, Serena was informed that the first Chunnel out to Paris didn't leave until nearly seven. However, if she was willing to go the extra mile, Serena could catch a flight out of Heathrow in an hour and be in Paris at half past six.

Since time, not money, was of the essence, Serena opted for the flight and quickly dressed, throwing a couple of things into an overnight bag. Making sure she had her passport and wallet (anything else could be purchased in Paris), Serena locked the room behind her. She was getting into the elevator when she placed a final call. She got voicemail.

"Humphrey, I am going to break your knees with my field hockey stick for breaking my best friend's heart next time I see your stupid literati face!" she proclaimed passionately. Having vented her rage, Serena sighed. "I don't know what happened, Dan, but Blair's not good right now. So if you ever cared about her, even just a little bit, then call me when you get this message, okay?"

Serena pressed the end button with another sigh and headed for the front entrance where her car was waiting.

**

* * *

**

Hôtel de Crillon

**July 12, 2011**

**7:14 a.m.**

Serena found Blair curled up on the bathroom floor next to the toilet, room service china plates (some still half-filled with French pastries and other delicacies) littered around her. Blair looked like hell, to the say the least. It broke Serena's heart to see the typically fiery brunette like this.

Serena shrugged out of her coat, throwing the Stella McCartney piece into the bathtub without a care. She cleared a path with her foot and knelt beside Blair. The sharp smell of stomach acid and bile turned Serena's own stomach but she pushed past it. Serena used her height advantage to pick up Blair's small form off the floor. Blair awoke for a brief moment when Serena eased Blair's body into the large bed.

"S," Blair muttered, "you came."

"I promised." Serena said calmly. "Blair, how many times? Since he left?"

Blair shook her head; her silky locks, now stringy and dull, clung to her face.

Serena took a seat on the edge of the mattress. "B, I have to know. Please tell me."

Before any answer could be given, Blair slipped back into slumber. Serena took it upon herself to clean up the bathroom, flushing the toilet and gathering up the plates, keeping busy while she waited for Dan to return her call.

Thirty minutes had passed since her arrival in Paris when Serena's cell phone went off, blasting Hot Hot Heat's "Good Day to Die". The blonde rushed into the bathroom and extracted the compact device from her jacket pocket.

"Hello, Dan." She said. "We need to talk."

"_How is she, Serena?_" Dan queried, his voice weary.

Serena sat on the edge of the tub. "Do you care? You broke up with her, Dan. You _left_ Blair; you flew back to New York."

"_I'm still in Paris, Serena_." Dan said. "_I left, I wandered around the city for a bit, got myself good and lost and…I've, uh, I got a room at the Ritz. Blair loves having breakfast here because Audrey Hepburn starred in two movies where her character fell in love at this hotel. How is Blair?_"

Serena hesitated, unsure as to whether Dan was aware to the reason behind Blair's use of Lexapro those years ago.

"_I'm in love with Blair._" Dan provided ardently. "_We…I've been in love with her since October, Serena. And we fight because I can be a jerk and she can be a bitch, because we're both stubborn and insecure and sometimes too proud for our own goods but I love her. I want to work things out; I want to fix everything. But before I can even attempt any of that, I need to know how she's doing._"

Serena sighed. "Dan, I don't know if you know this but when Blair was fifteen she was going through a tough time and she started…I mean to say that she is-"

"_Bulimic?_" Dan supplied. "_**Recovering**__ bulimic; she's in treatment. I know; Blair told me a while back. Did she…relapse?_"

Thinking of the thirteen plates that used to be on the washroom floor (she kept count for future reference), Serena replied, "Yeah. It's bad, Dan. I think, I _know_, that Blair needs you. I don't know what happened between you guys but she was devastated when I first talked to her. Blair believes it's over between the two of you."

"_Are you going to call Dr. Sherman?_"

"No. It's Blair that needs to make the call. Are you going to come?"

"_I'm already on my way. Is she sleeping?_"

Serena leaned over to peer into the suite. Blair was still laid out under the thick duvet. "Yes."

"_You're going to stay with her until I get there?_"

Serena rolled her eyes. Did Dan really think that she would get so incensed about the issue and fly to France in the early morning hours just to abandon the woman that had been her friend ever since they met in Central Park at age four? His brain was seriously out of whack. "Of course. I'll be staying until Blair kicks me out."

"_Good. I don't want her to be alone. Serena?_"

"Yes?"

"_Blair and I, we're not over by a long shot._"

The blonde smiled; Dan Humphrey was a man with a plan, on a mission to mend, love and protect Serena's bestie. "Just hurry, Humphrey."

**

* * *

**

Hôtel de Crillon

**July 12, 2011**

**1:40 p.m.**

Blair came into consciousness with three truths at the forefront of her mind: One, she was in her Parisian hotel room; two, her mouth felt like it was stuffed with wool and held the distinctive taste of vomit; and three, she and Dan were over. The reality of that last thought made her heart clench painfully and her stomach turn all on its own.

Vaguely recalling that she and Serena had spoken in the morning, Blair tried to roll out of bed. The strong arm circling her waist put a damper on her plan. It took only a fraction of a second for Blair to recognize the weight of the limb, the way the fingertips caressed her skin through her nightgown, and the cologne of the man to whom the arm was attached.

"Relax," Dan instructed softly. "It's all going to be okay, Blair."

Tears pricked at Blair's eyes; Dan's voice was so heartfelt, so honest and caring. He was _here_, in Paris, in their suite, in their bed with _her_.

"I love you, Blair." Dan uttered.

His words warmed her to the core…and also incensed her. Blair couldn't hold back her tongue.

"And Serena, too, apparently. Did you come because she called? Have the two of you adopted me as your newest charity project? Ironic considering that's what I always thought you were to S." she spat.

To say Dan was taken aback by Blair's spiteful comments was an understatement. Blair took advantage of his surprise to slip away from his arms. She stood by the door, attractive and defiant and vulnerable, her hair beautiful mussed and eyes shinning. Dan sat up in bed.

"I think we have a misunderstanding here." Dan established. "We need to talk."

Blair shook her head and gestured towards the door. "No, Humphrey. We are through. I am not going to stay with a man that is in love with someone else. I am not going to love another one of Serena's fawning admirers. No matter how much I love you, I wont go through that again. It would be naïve of me to expect you to just wake up one morning, forget Serena and be madly in love with me. It would be a dream, and out of the two of us, Cabbage Patch, you are the one who spins fantasies."

Dan climbed out of the bed. He walked towards Blair slowly but purposefully. He was equally as exhausted as she was, still dressed in the clothes he'd worn the day before, face showcasing his lack of sleep.

"You still love Nate." He said. Blair opened her mouth to protest but Dan cut her off. "He was your first love, Blair. You two shared good times; you have lasting memories. I know you're not in love with him, I know that. But you love the memories: your first date, your first kiss, all of the other things you will tell your daughter about when she asks because she has a crush on a boy at school. That is how I feel about Serena. I'm not in love with her, Blair. But the times we shared, they are going to be with me for the rest of my life. We're adults now, we've grown up and we no longer live under the silly quixotic illusion we used to when we first met. Relationships are never perfect; things don't always work out as we plan, and nothing is clean cut. And, yes, B, you and I, we're romantics. We love with all of our being; we jump in feet first, even when we try not to. A part of you and me will always love our first loves because they showed us how _to_ love."

Dan took a single step forward, standing directly before Blair. He reached out, cupping her cheek, his thumb running across tracts left behind her tears.

"The woman I am in love with, the woman who is the love of my life, is you. I love _you_, Blair. And I know that you know that in here," Dan placed his other hand over her heart. "Which is why I think we'll able to get through anything."

"I'm not as strong as you think." Blair admitted solemnly. "I…when you left, I ordered enough food for the entire floor. I thought that…I thought I could control myself. I thought I would spite you and Serena. I wont ever be like her, tall and blonde and leggy and stunning. And everybody picks her; she's always the center of attention. Serena doesn't do it on purpose, it's not her intention, but it happens. I thought I would be second place again and I just couldn't handle that. I wasn't tough, Dan. I couldn't stop myself."

Dan pulled Blair into his arms. He kissed the top of her head. "You're going to fine, Blair. We're going to do this together. We'll call Dr. Sherman when we get back to New York."

Blair moved out of her boyfriend's embrace. She ran a hand through her knotted mane and frowned. "I need to brush my teeth. And I desperately need to shower."

Dan shrugged out of his jacket, meeting Blair's amused gaze. "Forget about that shower. How about a bath for two instead?"

* * *

They'd spent nearly an hour in the large tub, Blair sitting in Dan's lap, her body tucked into his. The writer ran a hand through his girlfriend's wet locks.

"I'm calling Dr. Sherman." Blair said. "I want to see him first thing when we get back to New York. I _want_ to get better. I want you to stop having a basket case for a girlfriend."

"You don't have to prove anything to me, Blair. See Dr. Sherman because it's what _you_ want, because you want to get better for _you_. I'll be here no matter what."

Blair sighed almost inaudibly. "Even if I'll never be tall and leggy and fabulous?" Her half-jest was an obvious allusion to Dan's stepsister.

Dan grinned. He tightened his hold around Blair's waist. "Hey, you are the perfect stature for me, with or without heels. You're always at the right height for me to bend down my head and kiss you." He demonstrated by tilting his head forward and planting a solid buss on her cute, pouty mouth. "Your legs…are just the precise length to wrap around my waist." Dan ran his large hands over Blair's thighs, pushing against the firm muscles, silently asking her to open her legs a little wider, to wrap her legs around him and press against him more. She did. "And you are stunning, Blair. You have nothing to worry about in the beauty department; you definitely have the market cornered."

Instead of leaning in and kissing him like Dan expected, Blair pulled away and got out of the tub. Even his surprise didn't stop him from appreciating her naked form. He greedily ran his eyes over the slope of her breasts, round and firm and perfectly sized to fit in his hands, her tiny and tapered waist, the slight flair of her hips and her toned and shapely legs.

"Stop ogling." Blair instructed in what seemed was her default, perpetually exasperated tone. When Dan snapped his gaze up to meet hers, Blair smiled. "If you hurry, you can touch."

Needless to say, Dan nearly slipped getting out of the tub.

**

* * *

**

Hôtel de Crillon

**July 12, 2011**

**4:47 p.m.**

It took no time for Serena to register the familiar presence surrounding her. She looked up from her iPod and smiled when Carter sat down beside her in the hallway.

Serena slipped an earbud out her ear and raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow. "About time you got here."

Carter Baizen flashed his charm smile. "Crisis averted?"

Serena sighed and paused her playlist. "For the moment. They still have some things to work out. Blair and Dan are…"

"Complicated?" Carter suggested.

"Intense." Serena amended. "And plenty complicated, too. But I've never seen Blair happier than when she is with Dan. She's always been held to such a high standard. Harold always wanted the perfectly devoted and understanding daughter. Eleanor wanted the poster child for her clothing line, the ideal socialite that would only reflect positively on her. Nate wanted the perfect girlfriend, polite and doting, accepting and pure. And Chuck wanted the idyllic uninhibited libertine, he wanted to mold Blair into a complimentary version of himself." Serena fiddled with her iPod for a moment. "And, yes, they each loved her in their own way. Blair loved them all, too. But Dan doesn't love Blair despite her imperfections; he loves her _because_ of them, because she wouldn't be Blair otherwise."

Carter placed an arm around Serena's shoulders, holding the blonde tightly against him. "Sounds like we have nothing to worry about." For the first time, Carter noted the sounds coming from the suite. "Except for _that_," he added. "How long have they been at it?"

Serena glanced at her wristwatch. "Close to two hours. I'm happy that they've resolved their issues, but I need my cell and I left it in there. And those two apparently don't ever need to come up for air."

The keening sounds of Blair reaching completion reached their ears, the volume muffled through the heavy door. Carter and Serena shared a knowing glance. Carter reached into his jacket and pulled out his cell phone, handing it over to the blonde.

"You should call now that Blair came." he said. "They should be able to hear the phone."

Serena couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. She took the device. "Thanks."

"Are they always loud?" Carter queried as Serena dialed the hotel room number. "Because that would make it hard to live in the same house."

"Thankfully we don't share a living space." Serena countered. The phone was ringing. "But I imagine earplugs would be helpful."

* * *

It took a moment for the euphoric haze to begin to clear out of Blair's head and allow a bit of reality to seep in. There was a ringing that she very vaguely placed as belonging to the hotel room phone. It took another minute for Blair to recognize that the phone had been ringing for quite some time.

Blair reached out towards it and her movement caught the attention of Dan. The writer, who was tucked comfortably between her legs and whose head rested on the soft camber of her abdomen, raised his gaze to meet Blair's. The brunette picked up the receiver and uttered a thoroughly lethargic, "Hello."

"_B, please tell the that the two of you are taking a respite._" Serena's voice was a bit rushed. "_I left my cell phone in the room and I need it desperately lest I get fired._"

Blair trailed a hand across the tacky skin of her torso. "Give us a minute, S." She placed the receiver back in its cradle and reached down to run her fingers across Dan's cheek. "Serena left her cell in here."

Dan placed a last kiss on Blair's thigh and sat up. He quickly rummaged for his boxers, sliding them on when he found them on the floor, under the duvet. Digging through the dresser drawers, Dan extracted one of Blair's slinky nightgowns- his favorite silk La Perla number- and handed it to his girlfriend. He watched as Blair slipped on the negligee, concealing her curves from his eyes.

Blair was running her fingers through her mussed locks when the door opened and Serena stumbled through, eyes on the floor, a hand shielding her view from any exposed body parts to which she was certainly not privy.

Dan couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips; he found Blair was smirking.

"Unclench, S," Blair instructed. "Everything pertinent is covered. You should look up before you crash into something."

The blonde dropped her hand and raised her head. She spotted her BlackBerry sitting atop the large oak writing desk and picked it up, noting that she had several text messages and a couple of missed calls. Then Serena turned her attention towards her stepbrother and his girlfriend.

Blair wore her post-orgasmic glow proudly as she sat up in bed among rumpled bed sheets, nightgown hastily tossed on.

"Well, you look satisfied." Serena quipped. She caught sight of the scratches on Dan's back as he made his way back to the bed. "_Very_ satisfied."

Blair gave a coy shrug.

"We were going to dinner, do you guys want to join us?" Serena queried.

Dan glanced at the bedside clock. It was nearing five o'clock and neither he nor Blair had eaten lunch. "Give us thirty minutes?" he suggested. "You and Carter can go ahead and pick the place."

Dan smiled when Serena adopted a deer-in-the-headlights look. Blair raised an eyebrow in question.

"How…I never said anything about Carter." Serena stammered.

"I'm not an idiot, Serena." Dan established. "There had to be a reason he was invited to the wedding. And there had to be a reason that he's on the guest list for Chris' christening. Besides, you just used the editorial 'we' when you invited Blair and me to dinner. And his number showed up on your missed call list."

"Since when have you been moonlighting as an investigator?" Blair teased.

Dan shrugged facetiously and reached out for Blair, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Since you bet me I couldn't find every spot on your body that turned you on using just my tongue. Should I remind you that I won?"

"Oh, ew!" Serena declared, face scrunched up in disgust. "That is not a visual I ever wanted." Her mind had finally made the transition from thinking of Dan as a past lover to thinking of him as a sibling; the thought of her brother and his girlfriend having sex was something Serena never wanted to picture.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Thirty minutes, S."

The blonde nodded. "Sounds good. Humphrey, I'm taking over your suite at the Ritz. I'll call you when Carter and I decide where we should go."

The man in question peaked his head in. Carter had last seen the happy couple at Rufus and Lily's wedding; Blair and Dan looked just as content now as they had then.

"I'm loving the attire," Carter teased. When Blair glared at him, Carter smiled brightly. He clutched the item he'd found in his carry on just a few moments prior and tossed it towards the petite brunette; it managed to land on the mattress, at her feet. "You should consider investing in some of those and passing them out to the neighboring rooms, B. The other guests will sure appreciate it."

Blair glared at the airline-issued earplugs and then at Carter. "You don't have to be hostile, Carter. One day you'll make the transition from boy to man, too."

Ever good-natured, Carter took Blair's dig calmly. He held up a second pair of the industrial orange foam accessories. "I'm just being kind and doling out some advice," he said graciously. "Serena and I already handed them out at the Ritz."

"Ew." Dan muttered. "That's not a visual _I_ wanted."

* * *

I'd always wanted to touch back on Blair's eating disorder, the impossible standard to which she was held while growing up, and the inferiority complex she feels around Serena. I thankfully managed to do all three in this bit (at least I think I did). I'm also proud I got to flesh out Dan and Serena's relationship a little; I think that was important, too.


	8. Trust and Relationships

**So...it's been a while. And because of that, I'll keep things brief.**

**This chapter is dedicated to everyone who had to wait for me to get my ass in gear.**

* * *

**Saybrook College**

**August 20, 2011**

**4:13 p.m.**

Blair smiled and leaned further into Dan's embrace as the pair lay on Blair's twin-sized dorm bed. The brunette considered the piece of school-issued furniture an abomination (after all, she slept on a king-sized bed while at home in New York) but accepted it as part of the entire Yale experience. Jenny sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, her eyes trained on the HD plasma television sitting atop Blair's desk.

The movie playing was no surprise; an Audrey Hepburn romance was a virtual necessity whenever Blair and Dan parted for an extended period of time. And while _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ was Blair's favorite movie, Dan had selected _Sabrina_ since Humphrey Bogart was his preferred actor.

Their day had started early. The pair had set their alarm clock to a ghastly eight in the morning (something tantamount to a crime for the Upper East Sider) and, with the help of Nate and Vanessa, Blair's belongings were loaded into the Waldorf's car. Rufus, Serena and Carter suffered a similar fate, aiding Jenny in cramming her things into the van der Humphrey's new sedan. It had taken them the better part of an hour to unload everything and get the luggage up to each girl's room. While Jenny preferred to leave everything as it was and unpack later, most of Blair's things were already in their place.

Jenny sighed dreamily as she watched Bogie punch William Holden and rush out the Larrabee Building to get to Audrey Hepburn, whose titular character was sailing away on the _Liberté_. The credits began to roll a few minutes later and Jenny rose to her feet.

"I should start unpacking," Jenny declared. "At least find my pajamas. Dan, are you staying for dinner?"

Dan nodded. "Yeah. Eleanor wants a full report so, unlike Dad, I'm not to leave until I meet Blair's new roommate," he jested. Blair rolled her eyes while Jenny giggled. "How about we call you in an hour? See how you're holding up, if you need help, and we can pick someplace to eat."

Jenny nodded in agreement, pecked Blair's cheek goodbye and waved at Dan before heading back to her room in Davenport. Dan trailed a hand down Blair's back and into the back pocket of her black True Religion jeans. He gave her butt a squeeze and Blair sighed into his chest.

"Whose brilliant idea was it for you to go to Columbia?" she posed, and although her tone was playful, Dan knew that behind it all, Blair really missed him while she was in Connecticut. He missed her, too.

"If I'd known that you and I would be together when I was filing for a transfer, I would've applied to Yale." He offered sincerely. "But all I could think about when my counselor recommended it was you hating my guts in high school."

Blair smiled. "I didn't hate you, you know. I just…I wanted to be perfect. It's what my parents wanted and, ultimately, what I felt that I needed and…I didn't like the way you looked down on me. Sometimes I felt like you could actually see that all I was doing was putting up a front, that underneath I was a complete fucked up mess." She confessed. "I was scared you would blow my cover."

"That makes two of us, B." Dan muttered. He kissed her lightly. "You know something, I wouldn't have cared. Those moments when you let your guard down just a little and I got to see the real you, those were some of the best we shared back then."

"I don't know how you put up with me," Blair whispered. "I'm a wreck, Humphrey. You have to keep fixing me all the time and that's not what you signed up for; it's got to be exhausting. And certainly not what you want."

Dan shook his head. "Blair, the moment we started this that night on the terrace, I signed up for anything and everything having to do with you. I'm your boyfriend; taking care of you is written in big, bold letters on the first page of the manual. Sometimes I do wish it were easier for _your_ sake but every morning I wake up and I love you, and I still love you when I go to bed so…who cares if it seems like we're working against the world? I wouldn't trade you in for anything because it's you that I want."

Blair kept her head tucked under his chin, wanting to control the tears that had welled up in her eyes before she met Dan's gaze. Instead, she placed a kiss on his chest. "My, but that speech was romantic in the cheesiest of ways," she jested good-naturedly.

Dan rolled his eyes. "Well, I _am_ a writer. A side of schmaltz came standard with my verbal excess," he retorted.

She smiled. "I'm glad we can talk about this. Dr. Sherman said that we should try to talk more openly to each other, especially since we're in a long-distance relationship."

"How's that going, by the way?"

Blair pulled back enough to allow Dan to lie down on his back. She sat up and straddled his hips. "Good. He suggested the Lexapro again; I turned him down. I want to do this on my own. Besides, I don't want to experience the discontinuation symptoms for a second time."

"Okay. So, what's the S.O.P. now?" Dan queried. He'd remained true to his word and hadn't pushed Blair towards anything. Several long nights of research in Columbia University's Butler Library, Dan had learned that at the root of the majority of food disorders was the need to be in control. He'd read that people suffering from bulimia often felt as if someone else was in charge of their lives, as if they had no say in anything, and whenever they felt out of control, they would start binging and purging. Dan deeply regretted the events in Paris; he never wanted to make Blair feel like he called all the shots- they were partners; they were equals. Dan let Blair take charge of her recovery, inconspicuously nudging her along when she faltered, but he never asked for anything more than Blair was willing to share about her sessions. Dan didn't know if he was going about things the right way, but Blair hadn't relapsed since Paris and that was a blessing.

"Jenny is my wing man." Blair revealed. She frowned a tad. "Wait, wing girl, whatever. I told Dr. Sherman that my current environment wasn't precisely conducive to my recovery and he asked with whom I spend the most time here. Anyway, J went in with me and basically volunteered herself to make sure I toe the line. We watch my diet and just…she keeps me from freaking about calories and portion sizes and fat grams. I don't know what I would do without her."

Dan's eyes, so dark and rich, met Blair's matching set. He set his hands on her thighs. "This is the most you've told me about your treatment."

Blair assented with a single nod of her head. "I'm not going to see you for two weeks, Dan. Maybe more. I want you to know that I'm okay. I'm working really hard to be okay. You have other things to worry about, honey, you don't need to worry about me."

"I _always_ worry about you."

"Another duty according to the boyfriend manual?"

Dan laughed. "Yeah. In fine print at the bottom of the page."

Blair watched him for a minute. No, Dan wasn't conventionally good-looking (not like Nate, at least) but he _was_ handsome and, more importantly, he cared for her in a way no man ever had before. He was one of a kind.

She smiled wistfully. "I miss you."

Dan raised an eyebrow. "I'm right here, B."

"When you're in New York," she clarified. "I miss you."

Dan gave the muscles under his hands a firm squeeze and sat up. "And I, you."

* * *

**Saybrook College**

**September 30, 2011**

**3:57 p.m.**

Dan cocked his head as if to weigh the effects of his thoughts before jotting down the last couple of sentences for his latest chapter. He'd embarked upon his next literary project; the idea for a full-fledge novel had come from Carter, who had commented to him while they were in Paris during the summer, that he rather enjoyed Dan's writing but always felt a little regretful that the stories ended so quickly. Dan had been writing steadily since then, as always drawing some inspiration from Blair. She was his muse, something that would probably make her laugh, but Dan just seemed to write better whenever Blair was around. He read over his final notations before closing his notebook and shoving it into his jacket pocket. Giving his watch another glance (Blair would be back any minute) Dan leaned back against the dorm's door.

"Can I help you?"

Dan looked up to find a redhead looking at him. He scrambled to his feet, dusting off his jeans. "I'm waiting for Blair Waldorf."

Remembrance flashed in the young woman's eyes and she bobbed her head once. "You're the boyfriend," she said, her voice laced with disdain. "The princess mentioned that she was seeing somebody."

Dan held his tongue for once, only on account of good manners. He didn't know the girl's name but he was offended by the way she spoke of Blair. While he'd every intention to meet Blair's roommate the day Blair had moved in, the rommate had arrived late, after he'd said his goodbyes and embarked his drive back to Manhattan. That had apparently been a blessing, though Dan was sure it was not one that would last for much longer. The redhead let herself into the room and allowed him inside. Dan immediately flocked to Blair's immaculately kept side of the room. He took a seat at Blair's desk and smiled when he saw the book he'd gifted her for Christmas lying beside the television.

"So, what's your name? I mean, no offense or anything, but I was kind of expecting a J. Crew walking advertisement, you know. All golden-haired and Nordic good looks and Nantucket Reds…and that's so not you."

Dan raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You're really lacking that brain-to-mouth filter thing."

She shrugged. "I'm frank."

Dan leaned forward and offered her his hand. "Nice to meet you, Frank. I'm Dan Humphrey."

Her eyes widened in recognition and she hurried to shake his hand. "Hi, I'm Erica Dawson. I'm a fan. I read your novella and I fell in love with it so I looked you up and I've read every piece you've ever written."

Despite her rudeness towards Blair (the biggest turn-off in Dan's book) Dan was a bit flattered. "Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I actually wrote it for Blair."

Her face fell a little and Dan braced himself for an assault.

"I just don't understand what you see in her. I've been her roommate for all of three weeks and I'm not sure I can stand her much longer. She's so demanding. I'm sure that's because she has dozens of servants back home at her beck and call, waiting on her hand and foot or whatever. You don't strike me as a guy that does that or appreciates it." Erica commented as she began unloading her book bag.

"You're right, I don't. But it's obvious you don't know the first thing about Blair." Dan established passionately. "And it's kind of sad that you've reached the wrong conclusion and have no want to rectify the situation. My girlfriend's pretty amazing and if you knew her even a little bit, you'd see that, too."

The door opened once again and Blair fluttered in, looking perky and perfect, much like she had since he'd met her all those years ago at Constance. She looked phenomenal in her tailored Marc Jacobs dress, Givenchy bag slung over her shoulder, notebook and Twentieth Century Art course packet in hand. Dan smiled.

It took Blair all of a quarter of a second to notice her boyfriend sitting at her desk. She raced to him (ignoring her rude roommate), dropped her things on her bed, and collapsed on his lap. Her lips were on his instantaneously.

"Oh, I've missed you," Blair uttered, pulling away to catch her breath.

Dan rested his forehead against hers. "I've missed you, too, B. Please tell me you don't have a lot of homework this weekend."

Blair smiled. "I don't. You're very lucky, Mr. Humphrey. You get to have me all to yourself."

"Good. I booked that room you like at the Inn." Dan said. "I thought we could have dinner with Jen tonight and…be dead to the world the rest of the time."

Blair smiled and thought of the new Agent Provocateur lingerie she'd bought at Serena's insistence only two days before. "I think that can be arranged."

* * *

**The Inn at Oyster Point**

**October 1, 2011**

**4:08 a.m.**

Blair reached out blindly for her cell. She finally located it amongst the clutter of the nightstand and answered, her voice thick with sleep. "Hello."

"_Blair, I need a huge favor_."

The brunette rubbed at her eyes and sat up in bed; Dan's arm remained around her waist. "Nate? Do you have any idea what time it is? What could you possibly need at four in the morning?"

"_I need you to come down to the Hampton house_." Nate answered, his voice bubbling with excitement. "_You and Dan. Today. And I need you two to be here by noon_."

Blair groaned. "_I'm_ the Yalie." She pointed out. "The whole Skull and Bones, cloak-and-dagger deal is _my_ specialty. I'm not leaving this bed without a good reason, Archibald. And you have thirty seconds to provide me with one before I hang up and not answer for the rest of the weekend."

"_Vanessa and I are getting married._"

Blair nearly dropped her phone. Her eyes widened comically and she gaped for a few seconds, thankful that no one could see her in this moment of indignity.

When Nate didn't hear from his ex, he pressed on. "_It's surprising, I know. But I love her, Blair. And I know she's the one. So, Vanessa and I would really appreciate it if we could have our closest friends standing up there with us. I want Dan to be my best man and if you stay on the line for a sec, I think Vanessa wants to ask you something._"

Blair heard the rustle of the phone being passed from Nate to Vanessa. "_I'm really sorry about the hour, Blair._" The filmmaker apologized. "_Dan's my best friend and I…I don't think I could get married without him. And I know Nate considers you one of his best friends and he wants you to be there, too. And I thought it only fair that if Dan's going to be Nate's best man, maybe you'd say yes to being my maid of honor?_"

"I'm…I don't know what to say," Blair stammered. "I'm honored. I just…and I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, but wouldn't you like to pick someone _closer_ to you like your sister or Jenny?"

"_That's a good point. But you and I are friends now, right? When Nate told me he was going to ask Dan I thought it was time for me to show you that I really __**do**__ want your friendship. Not just for Nate, Dan and Jenny's sakes but also because, now that I know you better, I actually like hanging out with you. Consider this my olive branch. Besides, who knows? Maybe you and my best friend get a little inspired._"

Blair let out a laugh before covering her mouth with her hand. Somehow, Dan had managed to sleep through her entire conversation and she did not want to wake him; he'd need his strength later. "Don't get your hopes up any time soon," she said. "But I would be happy to serve as your maid of honor, Vanessa. Thank you for asking."

"_Thank you for accepting, on your and on Dan's behalf. We don't really have a theme or dress code so…wear whatever works best._"

"Oh no, honey, that is no way to go about things." Blair admonished kindly. "Tell Nate to wear his gray suit- the dove gray, not the charcoal- and the matching plaid bowtie. I'll get Dan to do the same."

"_Plaid bowtie?_" Vanessa echoed.

Blair rolled her eyes. "Trust me. The ceremony's at noon?"

"_Half-past, actually. So, you'll come?_"

"Of course," Blair assured. "Congratulations, Vanessa. To you and Nate both."

She hung up the phone then, feeling surprisingly alert despite having slept less than a handful of hours. Blair reached out for Dan, running a hand through his curls.

The writer groaned and tightened his hold on Blair. "B, please go to sleep."

Blair smiled and trailed her hand down the side of his face, the backs of her fingers running across the rough texture of his unshaven cheek. "Wake up, Cabbage Patch, I have important news."

Dan groaned again and she rolled onto his back. He scratched his head, making his hair stand up. "What is it, Blair?" he queried.

"You need to repack," she said. "We have to be in New York in a couple of hours. You have some shopping to do at Barney's."

Dan opened his dark eyes and somehow managed to glare at his girlfriend. "You've got to be kidding me. Blair, I'm not going anywhere today, and neither are you. The two of us are staying right here and enjoying the first time we have together in a month."

"Oh, well," Blair sighed nonchalantly. "I just thought you'd like to attend your best friend's wedding. I guess I'll just call to cancel."

"What?" Dan popped up absurdly, like in those half-hour sitcoms.

"Nate and Vanessa called. They're getting married today at the Archibald's Hampton house. He wants you to be his best man. And Vanessa asked me to be her maid of honor."

Dan rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat back against the headboard. "This isn't a joke, right? V is _really_ getting married? To Nate Archibald?"

Blair rolled her eyes and curled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Yes," she reiterated. "Vanessa and Nate are really getting married today at half-past noon in the Hamptons. You need a dove gray suit and a matching plaid bowtie; I thought we could buy those at Barney's on the way out to Long Island."

Dan chuckled. "Leave it to Vanessa to spring this on us last minute. Not that I would expect anything else; she's a 'by-the-seat-of-your-pants' kind of girl."

Blair shrugged. "So, are you awake?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Blair straddled Dan's waist. "Then we have time to do this before we need to catch the train."

* * *

**The Archibald House**

**October 2, 2011**

**11:51 a.m.**

Dan tugged at his collar as the Waldorf's car pulled into the Archibald's Hampton house driveway. He was sure he looked like a fool in the plaid bowtie and waistcoat, though Blair assured him otherwise. Blair sat beside him in a peony sheath. Her hair was pulled back into a loose chignon and she wore a serene expression on her beautiful face. To Blair's other side was Jenny (who had been equally upset as the happy couple about the early morning wake-up call) in a strapless peony dress, her flaxen locks in a chic ponytail.

The driver opened the door and Dan stepped out first, standing to the side and helping Blair and Jenny out of the car. Dan quickly spotted the van der Humphrey car parked next to a silver Bentley he assumed to be Carter's.

The front door opened and Nate stood in the threshold, grinning like a madman. Dan was relieved to find that his best friend's soon-to-be husband was wearing a suit, waistcoat and tie just like his; at least he wouldn't look silly on his own.

"By the skin of your teeth, Waldorf."

Blair scowled at her ex-boyfriend as she strolled up to him, but she couldn't help but soften her expression as she reached up to straighten out his tie. She'd dated Nate from kindergarten to junior year and she'd never seen him so content; Vanessa was most definitely a good match.

"Hmm. Passable." Blair stated.

Nate rolled his eyes humorously. "Thanks for the heartfelt assessment. Vanessa tells me this get-up was your idea." He saw the corner of her mouth rise. "It wouldn't be an event on the social calendar if a Waldorf wasn't involved. You should head on up; Vanessa's pretty stressed."

Blair turned towards Dan and kissed his cheek goodbye as Jenny took the opportunity to step forward and congratulate Nate. Jenny headed inside immediately to aid Vanessa and Dan followed to search for his father.

Blair regarded Nathaniel Archibald once more. He was still wearing that infernally perky smile and she couldn't help but counter with a much softer version. "You've chosen well, Nate." She said.

The Archibald heir raised an eyebrow. "As have you. Now, you'd better get upstairs; Vanessa's going crazy without you."

…

Blair blinked as the camera flash went off. Jesus, at the rate the photographer was going she was going to wind up with excessively photosensitive eyes. Before the man could snap another shot of the happy couple and their closest friends, Blair grabbed the hand of the person closest to her made a run for freedom.

As it turned out, the person closest to her was Serena, so the two happily walked away.

"Do you want something to drink?" Serena asked, tilting her head towards the bar.

"Yeah. Whatever you're getting." Blair replied.

For a couple that decided to get married on the fly, Nate and Vanessa Archibald sure knew how to throw a party. There had been no need to decorate the garden where the ceremony had taken place since Ann Archibald's camellias provided all the adornment. After the nuptials, which had been brief, the guests (all twenty-five of them) enjoyed a large, late lunch spread on the terrace.

"I heard Dan wasn't too happy about his wake-up call." Serena teased as she handed Blair a peach mimosa.

Blair rolled her eyes and took a sip. "Considering we'd gotten about three hours of sleep, neither of us was particularly pleased. But we've managed."

Serena bobbed her head. "So, that's why you wore _that_ dress, huh? Keep him awake?"

Blair smiled conspiratorially. Her outfit was the very definition of seductive: the fabric draped beautifully across her figure; the neckline was low, showing off tantalizing décolletage; the back was non-existent, her skin exposed to the warm day; and the hem was short, the dress falling several inches above the knee. Blair knew that Dan had enjoyed watching her put the dress on- perhaps because he could also see himself taking it off of her later.

"Cabbage Patch needed to keep his eyes wide open during the ceremony." Blair explained matter-of-factly, "I was just fulfilling my duty as maid of honor by making that happen."

Serena laughed and Blair joined in. The two turned towards the guests. Vanessa was sitting a table with Rufus and her parents. Eric was chatting with Vanessa's sister, Ruby. Jenny was regaling Ann with stories about her continuing internship at Eleanor Waldorf Designs. Dan, Carter and Lilly conversed by the fountain.

"You brought Carter," Blair observed. "How's that working out for you two?"

Serena took a sip of her drink before answering. "It's good. You know he and I have a complicated past and sometimes we both get a little caught up in that, but we're working on it. I don't know how you and Dan manage to do that whole long-distance thing because we sometimes struggle with not being able to see each other whenever we want."

With Serena's jet-setting schedule as a model and actress, and Carter taking over as executive vice president at his family's company, the two were often in different cities and it was beginning to take a toll on the statuesque blonde.

"You have to appreciate every minute you _do_ get together." Blair advised sagely. She set down her mimosa on the terrace's stone balustrade and clasped her hands together. "It's all in the details, I guess. Do you remember when we were at Constance? I always wanted Nate to show me how much he loved me through great gestures. We both know how well that worked. With Dan…it's about the little things."

"Right. Because getting a best selling novella dedicated to you is a _minute_, everyday detail." Serena said facetiously.

Blair glared at her bestie. "You know what I mean, S. Dan lets me tie his bowties and attends my Dramat production opening nights and helps me with my blue booking. If that last one isn't a declaration of love, I don't know what is. I'm sure you and Carter have moments like that. _Those_ are the ones that matter."

The two women stood quietly for a moment, taking in the significance of Blair's words. For Serena, they were a lesson on relationships, a new way to see things. For Blair, her words echoed back feelings she never knew she had. She hadn't considered why it was that she _knew_ Dan loved her, but now that she'd given Serena a reason, Blair found herself thinking back to all of little things that defined her relationship with Dan.

"You know, you're wasting your best material before you're due to give your toast." Nate commented good-naturedly as he joined the pair. It quickly crossed his mind that at one point in his life, he'd loved each of the women deeply. It was but by the grace of God that they had all remained friends. "Humphrey's gonna wipe the floor with you; he's the author."

"Please," Blair said, rolling her eyes, "he gets all of his inspiration from me."

* * *

**I felt that I needed to touch on the subject of Blair's bulimia one last time before moving on. No, she's not automatically cured, and it might get mentioned in passing in future chapters, but the bulk of it ends here, with B assuring Dan (and all of us) that she's working on it.**

**After the ambiguous feelings I had about the previous chapter I was a little leery of posting this one. So please take a minute of your time to drop me a line. Whether you like it (good), hate it (fyi: I might be a little ticked) or feel ambivalent (I understand), let me know. Thanks.**


	9. Birthday Celebrations

**Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the return of Chuck Bass. I've got to say that writing his scene was probably the easiest due to the fact that I know without a doubt where his character development will go. Anyway, this was intended to be a much longer chapter but I figured if I continued, you'd go much longer without an update so...I present you with what I've got.**

* * *

**Yale University Art Gallery**

**November 17, 2011**

**3:49 p.m.**

Blair stepped out into the sun, slipping her Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses on with practiced ease. The light breeze caused her rich chestnut mane to billow out and Blair found herself missing the trusty headbands that had been her signature piece in high school.

"Could that guy be any slimier?"

Blair turned to face her classmate and friend, Tarah Russell, and laughed. "Doubtful. How did he even get into this seminar? He's, like, a finance major."

The African-American beauty reminded Blair of Isabel Coates and sometimes, Blair found herself missing Is.

"That I do not know. What I _do_ know is _why_ he's taking this class." Tarah said. "And it begins with Blair and ends with Waldorf. The boy's had a hard-on for you since freshman year when we all took DS together."

Blair scrunched up her face into an expression of pure disgust. "Ew! Oh my God, no. You could not have possibly said anything more foul to me today, Tarah." Tarah laughed and Blair shook her head lightly. "Besides, I have a boyfriend. Remember him? Oh…'bout five-foot-ten-and-a-half, dark hair, dark eyes. Best-selling author."

Tarah rolled her eyes. Blair's typically sarcastic manner was what first attracted Tarah to the petite brunette. The two had met in freshman year when they had joined in the Directed Studies program, or as the Elis lovingly referred to it: Directed Suicide. The yearlong courses had been tough but the two managed to scrape on by and the experience really humbled (and bonded) the two. Though Tarah knew that Blair had two best friends already in Jenny and _the_ Serena van der Woodsen, she thought of herself as Blair's next closest confidant. Like Little J, she'd known about the Dan from the very beginning.

"He sure sounds familiar." Tarah replied facetiously. "So, what do you have planned for tonight?"

"Nothing." Blair's voice was soft and heavy with disappointment. "Dan has a publicity thing in San Francisco so we're not going to celebrate anything until next week."

"I'm sorry, B. How about you and I go out for drinks tonight? I mean today is a milestone for you; you can finally purchase alcohol legally."

"Did I hear correctly?" The distinctly Bostonian male voice stopped both girls and allowed William Whitley to catch up to them. "It's your birthday, Blair?"

The brunette had no choice but to nod politely. "Yes."

"Happy birthday," William said, enthusiastically wrapping his arms around Blair. "Let me take you out to dinner. I know this really great French place in the city and we-"

Tarah shifted her gaze to the figure rapidly approaching and quite literally extricated her best friend from her assailant. "That wont be necessary," she said. "Blair's got plans for tonight."

William appeared annoyed at Tarah's intrusion but pressed on. "How about tomorrow night then?"

"She's booked solid through the weekend," Tarah established.

William narrowed his eyes at Tarah. "Look, Russell, I-"

"Dan!" Blair rushed past William and into her boyfriend's arms. Dan had said that he had a publicity circuit on the West Coast that would prevent him from spending her birthday with her. Looking back on that now, Blair felt foolish for believing him; she'd skipped classes to see him on _his_ birthday two weeks prior, he would surely do the same for her.

The Brooklynite smiled while she slipped her sunglasses to the top of her head and then bent his head to press his lips against Blair's. The two remained wrapped up in each other for several minutes before pulling apart in dire need of oxygen.

"Happy birthday, babe," Dan whispered, pacing a last kiss on Blair's cheek.

"You said you'd be in California. You lied to me, Cabbage Patch."

Tarah snorted as she tried to cover up a chuckle at Blair's nickname for Dan. The pair failed to notice, however, because they were completely involved with one another in their own little world.

"I was trying to surprise you," Dan argued. "And I've succeeded. You had to know that I would drop everything to come see you." He tucked an errant lock behind her ear. "You ready to go?"

"Are you staying the night?"

Dan shook his head and watched in amusement as Blair's brow furrowed. "I'm not staying the night here and neither are you. We've got plans in Manhattan, B. In fact, we should get going. Jenny and Gabriel are waiting by the car."

Blair took a moment to collect her thoughts. "But I need to pack. You have to tell me what we're doing," she protested. Blair turned to find Tarah grinning like a madwoman. "You knew."

Glancing at a flustered William out of the corner of her eye, Tarah shrugged coyly. "Who do you think helped plan your shindig, Waldorf? We were _all_ kind of in it: Dan, Jenny, Serena, Vanessa, your mom and me. I have to say, we did an awesome job; you're going to love it."

Blair folded her small hand into Dan's. "Let's go then. I'll stop by my dorm and we-"

"There's no need," Dan broke in. "B, you have a ton of clothes at Eleanor's and at my place. Besides, we don't want to be late. Jen already stopped by your dorm and got the necessities."

Blair sighed, stood on her tiptoes and kissed Dan on the cheek. "Okay. Let's go home. Tarah, you're riding with us."

The lovers turned and began to walk away. Tarah looked at William.

"Give it up, Whit." Tarah advised. "Those two are head over heels for each other; they're not going to break up."

The Bostonian watched as Tarah hurried her stride and fell in step with her best friend. He took in the sight of Dan Humphrey let go of Blair's hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. Maybe Tarah was right or maybe she wasn't, but he was going to keep hope in his heart.

* * *

**The Foundry**

**November 17, 2011**

**8:33 p.m.**

"Surprise!"

Blair gasped and then laughed loudly as she was surrounded by the cacophony of her twenty-first birthday party. Serena was the first to embrace Blair, wrapping her arms around the brunette as she bounced with excitement.

"Happy Birthday, B!" the blonde said.

Blair laughed again at Serena's enthusiasm. Once, while talking to Tarah about her childhood, Blair had described Serena as an overgrown puppy, always so full of energy and wonder and excitement. Of course, Blair had been keen to point out that Serena would be a _gorgeous_ overgrown puppy, maybe a golden retriever with big blue eyes and a lustrous blonde mane. Noting her friend's zeal, Blair couldn't help but think her observation was confirmed. Serena's plain strapless gown was so sedate, and Blair believed it was in order to blend in thereby accentuating Blair's gorgeous one-shouldered aubergine floor-length Eleanor Waldorf singular creation. The intention was noble and the objective was achieved.

"Thank you." Blair said.

"I got all your favorites," Serena said as she guided the brunette further into the throng of guests. "I hope you enjoy your party, B. You're my bestie; I love you."

Blair embraced Serena again. "I'm sure I'm going to have a great time, S. I love you, too."

Dan watched as Blair was instantly surrounded by Upper East Siders and two dozen of her fellow Elis. He took the time to greet his step-siblings (and to meet Eric's boyfriend, Oliver Hunt) before heading to the bar and ordering a brandy. He smiled when Isabel and Kati, who was finally back from Tel Aviv, greeted his girlfriend with matchy-matchy dresses and grins.

"Looks like the party is a success."

Dan looked to his left to find Gabriel Gorman, Jenny's boyfriend of four-and-a-half weeks. He was nice enough guy, wealthy and from Rhode Island, who played lacrosse for Yale and lived in Silliman College. Blair had all but run a background check on him and assured Dan that Gabriel was a good prospect for the designer.

"Appears so." Dan concurred. "Serena was…beyond excited about tonight. She was worried, too, but mostly she just wanted Blair to have fun and I think that's a given."

Gabriel nodded. "Jenny was feeling the same way these past couple of days. Blair's really important to her." He looked out into the dance floor where Blair was surrounded by a smiling (and fawning) public. "Blair's really important to a lot of people."

"She is." Dan confirmed.

"Is it true you gave up an interview in San Fran for tonight?"

Dan took a swallow of the amber liquid. "Yeah; well, for the entire weekend, actually. It's my girlfriend's birthday."

"This is going to become the official 'Boy's Corner' for tonight." Nate announced as he, Carter, Eric and Oliver joined Dan and Gabriel at the bar. "Dan, your girlfriend's shanghaied all of _our_ girlfriends- and wives- while we're banished to the bar to keep their purses safe." Nate brandished Vanessa's chic Jennifer Humphrey for Eleanor Waldorf Design clutch before plunking it down on the counter and ordering up a scotch.

Dan, Eric, Oliver and Gabriel burst into hysterical laughter as soon as Carter set Serena's Roger Vivier purse next to Vanessa's. Dan carefully refrained from acknowledging the cell phone and lipstick Blair had slipped into his jacket pocket and enjoyed his friend's misery. Well, that and the glow on Blair's face.

- - -

"_Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dearest Blair. Happy birthday to you_!"

The brunette laughed at the clearly out-of-tune choir of friends singing to her. Blair found herself sandwiched between Jenny and Serena, with Dan pressed against her from behind. Carter and Nate were holding the massive concoction Serena had selected as the birthday cake, but it was clear that the two were starting to buckle under the weight and Oliver and Gabriel discretely stepped in to help.

"Make a wish!" Tarah yelled, her voice carrying over the din in the hall. "And make it damn _good_ one, Waldorf."

Blair closed her eyes thought quickly of what she wanted most. The wish materialized almost instantly and she took a deep breath and blew out twenty-one pearly-white candles. Dan dropped a kiss on Blair's temple; Jenny and Serena each squeezed one of the birthday girl's hands.

The servers moved in to cut and distribute the cake. Blair was ushered into a corner booth by Jenny. Her two blonde besties plopped on either side with Carter next to Serena and Tarah next to Jenny. The rest of the friends crowded around the circular table as best they could, and Dan wound up sitting across the table from his girlfriend.

"You made a killing on gifts tonight." Oliver commented as he eyed the table in the corner, which was covered with three layers of birthday presents.

Blair folded her hands in her lap and shrugged a shoulder. "The only thing that matters is that all of my favorite people are here tonight. My dad, Roman, and my brothers flew in from France and we're going to attend the Game on Saturday. It's a good birthday."

Dan felt a vibration in his slacks' pocket and he reached in to extract his cell phone. The sleek obsidian BlackBerry (a birthday gift from Rufus and Lilly) notified him of the arrival of a text message. Dan covertly opened up the communication. His jaw nearly dropped as his eyes ran across the words on the screen; Blair was an evil temptress. He raised his gaze to meet hers, her chocolate eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Dan, what's wrong with you?" Vanessa queried, leaning to her left, trying to read the message.

"Nothing." Dan replied as he quickly closed the window.

"Seriously, Humphrey, what are you doing? It's Blair's birthday." Vanessa pressed on. "Who's texting you?"

Dan shoved the device back into his pocket and dusted off Blair's satisfied smirk. "It was nothing, Vanessa. It was just my-" He paused and swallowed as he felt a delicately-boned foot traveling up his calf. "Uh, it was my agent."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She clearly didn't believe him. "Is it another of those lit hags I had to help you fend off a couple of days ago?"

"No!" Dan whisper-yelled. He had neglected to mention the incident to Blair and did not find her birthday party to be a suitable place to do so. "Vanessa, I promise you that it was nothing bad…just private."

Blair watched Dan and Vanessa out of the corner of her eye. She was only half paying attention to the conversation between Jenny, Serena and Tarah, interjecting an, "uh-huh" or "okay" at appropriate points, while she continued to toe her way up Dan's leg. When Blair saw him falter in his speech and felt him harden underneath her ministrations, she dropped her foot, slipped on her Prada pump and nudged Serena with her hip.

"Excuse me, S. I need to go to the ladies room." Blair said.

Serena and Carter filed out and allowed Blair to slip out of the booth.

"I'll go with you." Vanessa offered.

Blair gave Dan a lingering gaze. "It's okay. I promise I wont get lost."

She walked off seemingly without a care in the world; unfortunately, Dan did not feel the same way. He drained the glass before him and rose to his feet, careful to hide the bulge in his slacks. "I'm getting a refill. Can I get anybody anything else?"

Serena and Tarah raised their glasses in the air and chorused, "Vodka tonic."

Dan nodded and headed off to the bar. He placed the girls' orders with the bartender and arranged for Tarah and Serena to receive their drinks before making his way towards the stairway. Blair met him on the second floor landing and dragged him into a small room to the right of the stairwell. The door wasn't even halfway closed before Blair's custom couture was on the floor.

"I can't believe you sent me that text while we were in public." Dan muttered against the soft skin of Blair's neck. "You really _are_ a doe-eyed package of girlie evil."

Blair busied herself with unzipping Dan's pants. "You know you love me," she countered playfully.

"Well, that fact is undeniable."

* * *

**Waldorf-Rose Apartment**

**November 18, 2011**

**9:12 a.m.**

Blair opened her eyes to find herself in her bedroom. This was a welcome surprise as she rarely slept in her own bed when she was in Manhattan anymore. Her nights typically involved a smaller, though equally as comfortable, bed in Williamsburg and the brooding young man who owned said piece of furniture.

A knock at the door made Blair sit up and only then did she notice she was alone. "Come in."

Dan walked in, dressed in black jeans and an un-tucked white button-up. He took a seat on the mattress and kissed her. "You are meeting the boys in an hour and a half." He reminded Blair. "Dorota's bringing up breakfast for you."

Blair frowned. "What about you?"

"I ate with Eleanor and Cyrus downstairs. She wanted to know how the party went. I gave her a brief recap. I'm sure she'll get all the details from Jenny at the office." Dan answered. "I just wanted to see you before I had to go and help dad with the gallery."

Blair sighed loudly and pouted prettily. "I don't understand why you have to be there so early."

"We're setting up a new exhibit, Blair. We have to take down the old paintings, put up new ones, repaint, re-label. It's a bitch." Dan said. "And since Vanessa's still officially on her honeymoon and Jenny's with Eleanor, it's all up to me."

"You, Eric, Oliver and Gabriel. I can't believe Rufus actually succeeded in coercing them to help just to get in his good graces." Blair laughed off. "Actually, that I _can_ believe. What really boggles my mind is that Oliver and Gabriel believed him."

"Dad can be intimidating when he wants to be. I mean, he's father to one guy's girlfriend and stepfather to the other guy's boyfriend. He's putting them through the vetting process." Dan argued.

"I don't remember getting vetted. Rufus has always been kind to me, or the very least polite, and Alison felt the same." Blair pointed out. She paused to reconsider. "Though I guess by the time we started dating they practically knew everything about me so there was no need."

A knock broke through and Dorota entered a second later, tray loaded with chocolate chip waffles and blueberry and cream cheese crepes. The housekeeper set it on Blair's lap.

"Thank you, Dorota." Blair said, smiling at the woman. Dorota had practically raised Blair and though their relationship as employer and employee hardly changed, Blair held a large soft spot for Dorota.

"You're welcome, Miss Blair." Dorota replied. She quickly exited the suite, knowing full well she'd interrupted the lovers.

"Well, when you see your dad, tell him I say thank you for sending over the waffles." Blair said.

"And just like that, I'm dismissed." Dan kissed Blair's cheek and rose to his feet. "I'll see you later."

Blair would have answered but she was too busy enjoying her breakfast.

* * *

**Tavern on the Green**

**November 18, 2011**

**1:47 p.m.**

Blair let out a giggle as Rufus recounted the boys' morning at the gallery. Though evasive about the exact nature of the exhibit, the Humphrey patriarch was entertaining the entire table. Lilly had insisted in celebrating Blair's birthday by inviting the birthday girl to have lunch with the six van der Humphreys old enough to enjoy the delectable meals at the historic Central Park restaurant.

Blair had spent the morning at the Whitney, checking out the wonderful American art exhibits alongside Pierre and Philippe. The twins reminded Blair of Serena and her as little girls, one exuberant and animated, the other observant and reserved. Pierre had questioned Blair about her birthday celebration, right down to the design on the cake while revealing his own enjoyment of parties. Philippe had walked beside his siblings, eyes on the colorful artwork. He'd provided insightful commentary when prompted, but had been generally content with listening to the conversation instead of participating. Roman had picked the boys up at twenty-past one, and the three men walked Blair to the restaurant before heading off to meet Harold.

Inside the restaurant, all of the van der Humphreys had arrived and were sitting around the table except Eric. The blond young man trotted in minutes later and took a seat on Blair's right. He leaned in discretely and touched the sleeve of Blair's Chloé blouse.

"Chuck's outside." Eric said.

All of her hard work in Dramat productions paid off, and Blair's porcelain features registered no emotion. "Okay."

Eric sighed. He obviously did not want to continue the conversation. "He wants to talk to you, B. It's…He's my friend but you've always been like a sister to me. I'm on your side, no matter what. So, as a his friend I told him I would let you know but as your brother I told him that he needed to go."

Blair took a deep breath. "Will you excuse Eric and me for a few minutes?" she said loudly. "There's something we need to take care of." Blair met Dan's confused gaze with her own warm expression and kissed his cheek. "Order for me, will you? I'll tell you all about it when we're alone."

The writer bobbed his head in agreement and Blair allowed Eric to lead her out of the restaurant and into Central Park West. Chuck leaned against a tree, his busy-print tie in clear view. Blair touched Eric's shoulder indicating that she wanted to speak to the hotelier's son alone.

"Happy birthday, Blair."

The brunette beauty spared a smile. "Thank you. You said you wanted to talk. I don't think we have anything left to discuss. Nothing's changed since February."

"Do you really love him?" Chuck queried. There was nothing hard about his voice and Blair was surprised.

"Yes. As impossible as that sounds, Chuck, I fell in love with the boy from Brooklyn." Blair answered. "If you'd told me four years ago that Dan and I would be dating, that I would be happy with him, that we would fit together…I would've asked you to please lay off the blow."

Chuck took a step closer to Blair. "And now?" His hands were stuffed into his pockets and though he was still as handsome as ever, the ever-present Basshole smirk and the mischief in his eyes were missing.

Blair didn't falter. "Now we make sense," she replied, quelling all possible questions about compatibility there and then.

"Does he love you?"

That was the million-dollar question. Chuck wasn't a masochist; if Blair truly loved Humphrey then Chuck would back off. She was his friend first and foremost; he, Nate, Serena and Blair were the Upper East Side's original Fab Four, and that was more important than any murky romantic longing. After all, Blair, Serena and Nate managed to resolve their issues and were now close friends. All Charles Bass needed to know was that Dan Humphrey would love Blair, love and respect and treasure her as Chuck, Nate, Marcus and countless others had not. He needed to know that before he finally let go.

Blair's eyes lit up, something that Chuck could not miss. "Yes, he does. Dan loves me, Chuck; I know it."

"Congratulations, Blair." Chuck kissed her forehead. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have two very willing, very…accommodating ladies to interview-"

"For positions atop you?" she prompted genially.

"I would prefer under me, actually." Chuck countered. Blair wasn't sure whether Chuck was jesting or not, but it didn't matter because he was simply being himself. He was Chuck the _Friend_ once more instead of Chuck the _Ex_ and Blair felt that her weekend was looking just a little brighter.

"Are you in Boston?" Blair queried. She hadn't much kept up with the young man's activities but Blair knew Bart had several hotels and properties in that city.

"Monaco." Chuck corrected. He grinned. "We just did an overhaul of the hotel. You and Humphrey should stop by and spend a week. You know, when he finally grows a set and asks you to marry him."

He enjoyed watching Blair's big, brown eyes widen and her jaw drop slightly. Chuck missed his bantering partner; Nate simply did not have the same caliber wit as the petite brunette.

"I saw you last night at Le Bernardin with Eleanor and your father. The both of you are sickeningly obvious." Chuck brushed off. "He'd be an idiot not to ask, Blair. As much as it pains me to say, Humphrey's not an idiot."

"Blair?" Eric's voice was loud; Chuck and Blair turned towards him. Eric held up his cell. "Inquiring minds want to know."

"Goodbye, Waldorf. As always, a pleasure."

Blair reached up and patted his cheek. "Likewise, Bass."

* * *

**Bedford Avenue Gallery**

**November 18, 2011**

**4:09 p.m.**

Blair shifted against Dan's chest. The writer had his arms wrapped around her waist and he was slowly and carefully leading her somewhere she couldn't see. The silk blindfold had been placed over her eyes almost as soon as she sat down in the Town Car's leather backseat.

"Daniel Jonah Humphrey, you have thirty seconds to remove this silly blindfold or I'm not putting out this entire week." Blair threatened. "And I actually _mean_ it, Cabbage Patch."

Dan sighed. "Our relationship isn't only about sex, Blair." He protested. "I can make it a week without sleeping with you."

The writer felt her incredulous gaze even through the fine Italian silk; his girlfriend knew him too well. Dan quickly undid the knot and pulled the rich fabric down. Blair took a step forward. She recognized the space; after all, she'd spent many weekends there, aiding Rufus with the exhibits. But the paintings on the walls…

Blair's eyes widened. "Oh my God."

On one free weekend in the early spring, Blair had volunteered to help Rufus with the gallery. During lunch, the Humphrey patriarch had found his potential daughter-in-law engrossed in one of the look books he was evaluating. Artists who wanted to be considered for participation in a show sent Polaroid pictures of their pieces (or if discovered by one of the staff, had the pictures taken), and those photographs were set up in a large binder. From there, Rufus organized shows to either feature a single artist's collection, or to present pieces by several artists that shared a common theme or mood. It was tiring work, mounting a successful exhibition, but Rufus love it all the same.

Blair had been flipping through the pages, pausing to allow her eyes to meticulously run over every brush stroke. Rufus had plunked a stack of Post-Its in front of her and said, "Mark what you like best."

As Blair walked around the large showroom, she realized that _every_ piece she had tagged was displayed.

"Your very first exhibition," Dan proclaimed. "We open tonight. Congratulations, Blair. And happy birthday."

Blair launched herself into Dan's arms, her arms looped around his neck, lips firmly set against his. "Your father's awesome." Blair established as soon as they pulled apart. She giggled and moved into the next showroom, amazed by what she saw.

"My _father_ is awesome?" Dan echoed. "You just kissed me with tongue and the first thing you say is that my father is awesome?"

"He is," Blair assured. "Dan, do you have any idea what this means to me? I thought Rufus was just humoring me; I didn't think he would do this."

There was absolute wonder in her voice and Dan smiled. When his father consulted him about the possibility of showcasing Blair's favorite artwork at the gallery in time for the heiress' birthday, Dan had immediately given the green light. Lilly had agreed and, with Vanessa's help, they had all set about to do exactly that.

Blair took a seat on the hardwood floor, smack-dab in the center of the room. Dan plopped himself beside her.

"It was Chuck."

Dan turned toward his girlfriend, brow furrowed. "What?"

Blair placed her hand on one of Dan's, internally marveling at how perfectly they fit once she laced her fingers with his. "The reason Eric and I ducked out during lunch for a few minutes was Chuck. He was waiting outside."

"Blair, we were having lunch with my family and you stepped outside to talk to your asshole ex-boyfriend? Seriously?" Dan resisted the urge to blow up at Blair; he didn't want to push her, especially not while she was riding a high of accomplishment. "I am both appalled and not surprised because…it's Chuck f-ing Bass."

Blair smiled patiently. "Chuck and I are over, Humphrey. We have been for years. He needed closure and…he got it." When Dan said nothing, Blair pressed on. "Chuck said he saw us at Le Bernardin with my parents. Apparently, both of us are 'sickeningly obvious' when it comes to our feelings." Blair laughed. "And it seems that all Chuck Bass wanted to know was that you love me."

Dan let out a sound that was a cross between a laugh and a scoff. When Blair raised an eyebrow, he shook his head. "That's it? We're through with Chuck? Just like that?"

"Yes. You enjoy complicating things, Cabbage Patch." Blair said. "I know that, as a writer, you live off of conflict, but me seeing Chuck meant nothing. And it will continue to mean nothing."

"Okay." Dan said, and it was. From the get-go Dan had assured Blair that he did, and would, trust her.

"Now, on to a bigger issue…what am I going to wear tonight?"

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Drop me a line and let me know. Next chapter we get to experience the Game and the holidays.**


	10. New Beginnings

**So, here we are people. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving; I unfortunately did not thanks to the flu. Personal miseries aside, this is the next bit in this story. Chuck is with us once again. And we finally witness the moment we've all kinda been waiting for. Hope you enjoy.**

**For my family; if we tried to smush our names together, they'd be longer than any Gossip Girl surname compilation.**

* * *

**Saybrook College**

**November 19, 2011**

**8:27 a.m.**

Blair yawned as she unlocked the heavy door and pushed it open, allowing her companions to enter the dorm. It was the Saturday before Thanksgiving and for Yalies that could only mean one thing: The Game.

The Game was always capitalized because, well, it was simply that important. It was tradition to hold the annual Yale-Harvard football game the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. The Yale Bowl was sure to be brimming with current Elis, alumni and their families all decked out in Bulldog regalia, eager to knock down the Cantabs.

Harold had insisted that the Game be a family affair, something craftily designed to entice the youngest members of the Waldorf-van der Humphrey family into matriculating at the New Haven school. So in addition of Harold, Blair, Jenny, Dan, Pierre and Philippe, Yale Rose and Christopher Humphrey were extended invitations.

Eleanor had simply raised an eyebrow and said, "Another one, Harold? I can already see myself finding Yale University stickers on my favorite pair of pumps."

Blair had pouted and countered with, "I was young and impressionable. Thankfully, I wound up attending said school so you weren't advertising falsely, Mother. Besides, it was all Daddy's idea."

Harold's sheepish grin had done nothing to dissuade Eleanor's annoyance, but at the end of the day Eleanor allowed Yale to attend. The toddler, who was all of sixteen months, currently slept soundly in Blair's arms. Lilly had proven a tougher sale, though sold on the idea she was.

Pierre and Philippe raced to Blair's bed, both boys brimming with energy. It was a sharp contrast to their older counterparts; Jenny, Blair and Dan were exhausted. The show had been a success and they'd celebrated into the wee hours of the morning. Blair had slept in her bed while Dan crashed at the van der Humphrey townhouse. Less than five hours later, Harold (who was annoyingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed) had everyone in the back of the stretch Town Car and on the way to Connecticut. The twins, who, along with Yale and Chris, were attending their first Game, were bribed into consciousness with Magnolia Bakery coconut cupcakes.

Jenny groaned loudly and joined the two boys on Blair's bed, curling up into fetal position at the foot of the mattress. Harold rolled his eyes as Dan set Chris' car seat on Blair's desk with a grunt.

"Why the long faces?" the Waldorf patriarch demanded cheerfully. "It's the Game! It's the day we don our Yale regalia and cheer the Bulldogs to victory against that school up north."

"We will all sing 'Boola Boola' obnoxiously and cheer loudly against Cambridge Community College when the game starts, Harold. Until then, we need a few minutes of quiet to recoup some energy." Dan said.

Harold sobered up and raised an eyebrow. "And just what were you doing that left you so drained?"

Blair sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

**Yale Bowl**

**November 19, 2011**

**12:52 p.m.**

The Yale Bowl was brimming with excitement.

Pierre had been shouting encouragements to the players on the field since the start of the game, and the students around him prized him by painting his face blue and drawing white Y's on his cheeks. Philippe stood beside his brother, a Silliman scarf around his neck, Saybrook College pennant in one hand and a Davenport College banner in the other. Harold kept a close eye on the boys while cheering loudly as the Bulldogs completed a pass.

Blair smiled and reached up to adjust the blanket tucked into the baby carried strapped across her chest. Chris was miraculously sleeping through the racket and she hoped he would continue to do so for another quarter. He was dressed in full-out support of the New Haven university, from his socks to his bodysuit to his sweater to his cap.

"Ow." Dan raised a hand and removed Yale's fingers from his hair. In hindsight, sitting the toddler on his shoulders was possibly not the best of ideas. But Yale looked so much like her big sister, and, though the color of the eyes was different, their expressions were identical so Dan found himself unable to deny Yale nearly anything.

Jenny nudged Blair playfully and dropped a kiss on Chris' head. "Watch those two." She instructed her best friend.

The two Elis observed as Dan brought Yale down from his shoulders and stood her on his lap.

"Okay, Miss Rose, what were we just discussing? Let's keep our hands to ourselves, all right? I get enough hair-yanking from your sister" Dan scolded and Blair's jaw dropped. What the hell was her boyfriend doing, discussing their sex life with her baby sister?

Yale smiled up at Dan and the writer sighed. The little girl was only halfway back up to her perch on his shoulders before her hands found their way into his mane. "Go ahead, Yale. Who needs hair anyway?"

- - -

The Waldorf-van der Humphrey party cheered loudly as the Yale University Bulldogs kicker knocked in the extra point, setting the exclamation point on Yale's resounding 24-7 victory over the Harvard Crimson. Chris was awake and whimpering in his older brother's arms while Yale giggled loudly at Pierre and Philippe's joyful expressions from her spot in Harold's arms. Jenny smiled when she saw Blair and Dan chatting up Nelly Yuki (who had ended up at Princeton) and her Yalie boyfriend.

"Wow." Jenny nearly cringed at the sound of the voice. Erica Dawson came to stand next to the blonde. "She actually looks human. She brought the boyfriend…your last name's Humphrey, right? Is Dan Humphrey your brother?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "It took you this long to figure that out? Look, Erica, I get that you think Blair's some spoilt, narcissistic bitch but you're making a mistake. It's a mistake I made years ago when I was a scholarship student from Brooklyn attending the most prestigious girls' school in Manhattan. My brother and I, all of Blair's friends, see her for who she is, not what she's worth. You want her respect? I suggest you drop your prejudice against my best friend."

"I do not want Blair Waldorf's respect. She doesn't have mine, either." Erica protested. "I didn't get into this school because my father came here. I didn't get into this school because my father donated a library or a scholarship or…new bunks for the dorms. And I didn't pay for my test scores or my valedictorian spot."

Jenny was instantly furious. She stepped in front of the redhead, steeled for a fight. "Blair earned her valedictorian spot. She was perfect student, aced all of her classes every year through hard work. She's a perfectionist; no way she would let anybody else touch her work. Harold Waldorf donated a vineyard during B's freshman year, months after she'd begun attending. And knocking her legacy status? Seriously? You're an athlete, right? You're on crew? You came here because Yale would give you a better chance to join the varsity team right out of the gate than Harvard or Princeton." Jenny waited for Erica to nod before plowing on. "Did you know that athletes receive a higher point bump than legacy students? It's not Blair's fault her dad came to Yale. And he didn't buy her admission. You're operating under a false premise and the only person who loses out is you, Erica."

"Jennifer!"

The blonde turned and instantly found herself in Tarah's post-victory enthusiastic embrace. "Where the hell were you guys sitting? I didn't see you and B in the student section."

"We were a couple of rows behind you guys. We sort of had a family field trip. Dan came up for the Game and so did a lot of B's family." Jenny responded.

"No offense to your boss, but I don't exactly picture Eleanor Waldorf-Rose sitting up in some bleachers while drunk guys with painted chests cheer around her." Tarah said.

Jenny shrugged. "I don't either. Harold's here, the boys, Yale and Chris are here, too."

"You're not cramped into your dorms are you?"

"No. We drove up at the ass-crack of dawn, per Harold's plan. Everybody is heading back home today to prepare for Thanksgiving. I seriously cannot wait to sleep in my bed…even if it is at the townhouse."

As Jenny and Tarah continued their conversation, Erica snuck closer towards where Blair and her family were standing. The redhead saw the older man, no doubt her roommate's father, engaging his daughter in conversation. Erica weaved her way through the crowd.

"I'm glad you decided to head back to the city tonight." Mr. Waldorf said. "Roman and I try to bring the boys as often as possible but...we live in Lyon and we miss you every day, Blair."

Blair smiled and hugged Harold tightly. "I miss you, too, Daddy. And I miss Pierre and Philippe…and Roman, too. Who would've guessed after the way I treated him that first Christmas? He knew, by the way. He knew I wanted him gone but he was patient and he won me over."

"It's the French charm." Harold theorized. The two laughed. "Why don't you go find your best friend so we can get going?"

Blair kissed Harold's cheek and moved in the direction where she'd last seen Jenny but instead of finding the blonde designer, Blair found herself face to face with her redheaded roommate. Blair knew instantly that Erica had both see and heard Blair's conversation with her father.

Blair slipped a hand out of the pocket of her Yale sweatshirt and curled it into a fist. "If you say a word about my father-"

"He's gay." Erica stated.

Blair bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from swinging. "Yes, he is. I don't care what you think of me, what you say about me, how you address me; it's none of my concern. But what is my concern, what I do care about, is making sure that you don't insult my dad in any way. I intend on ensuring that you keep your judgmental comments to yourself lest the sun rise one morning to find you smothered to death in your dorm bed."

Erica raised both hands in surrender. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound judgmental, Blair. I assure you that my moms would both have an issue with that."

Blair unclenched her fist and the two women stood silently before each other, a newfound understanding between them. Blair sincerely doubted she and Erica would ever be friends, too much animosity had passed between them, but she the two would be friendly towards each other from now on.

* * *

**van der Humphrey Townhouse**

**November 24, 2011**

**6:11 p.m.**

The last place Charles Bartholomew Bass ever saw himself spending Thanksgiving Day was at the van der Humphrey house, surrounded by the Humphreys and the Waldorfs. The invitation had been a complete surprise, as Lonely Boy himself had extended it, and, for a moment, Chuck was sure that the whole thing was a complete set-up. It took a few minutes, and Blair's assurance, before Chuck agreed to get on his father's jet and head back home to New York City.

Everyone had been civil and polite when he appeared in the foyer, and within minutes, Chuck found himself enveloped in the strangely warm and comforting air the van der Walphreys exuded. Chuck had forgone a date out of respect for his hosts, in particular Blair, but found that he didn't miss the company his "friends" provided; the large family and their guests provided enough entertainment. Serena was every bit as effervescent as always, Nate as genial, and Vanessa and Carter welcomed him into their conversation as if they'd always been best of pals.

Blair busied herself in the kitchen with Harold; the two attempted to show the twins how to make Harold's famous pumpkin pie and, much to their chagrin, neither Pierre nor Philippe seemed particularly interested. Dan was holed up in the den, furiously trying to make the deadline for his next chapter. Chuck happened to be laughing at one of Little J's jokes when the former Queen Bee of Constance Billard herself finally joined the party.

Blair looked lovely in a high-waisted pencil skirt and lapis-blue blouse. She was chatting with Eleanor and Lilly, the three gesticulating animatedly as if to cement their points. The two older women's hands sparkled with diamonds and gold, but Chuck noted no such adornment on Blair's hand. He frowned. It wasn't that he was elated at the thought of Blair getting married; it was simply that Chuck believed it was the next step in the natural progression of Blair and Dan's relationship. The hotelier was not a dolt; Blair would be Mrs. Humphrey sooner rather than later.

Dinner had been a joyous event. Rufus and Harold cooked and the children hadn't been banished to another room; they sat at the table with the rest of the guests. It was quite possibly the warmest Thanksgiving meal Chuck had ever enjoyed. He sat next to Serena and across from Dan. Chuck was surprised (as was Dan, though not Blair) that he and the writer liked several of the same books and movies. They two conversed about these topics, falling into an easy rapport. After polishing off plates of turkey, stuffing, salad, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, everyone settled in around the living room for coffee and pie.

Chuck watched as Dan headed into the den to take a call. He excused himself and followed. Dan was sitting in one of the leather club chairs, cell phone pressed against his ear.

"John, it's Thanksgiving…please unclench. I sent you the last two chapters and I would appreciate it if you could refrain from riding my ass about edits until tomorrow." Dan said, his brow furrowing as soon as he spotted Chuck in the doorway. "Okay, I'll see you next week. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too." Dan ended his call and slipped the BlackBerry into his pocket. "What can I do for you, Chuck?"

"I wanted to thank you for inviting me to dinner," Chuck said. "It was very big of you."

Dan shook his head. "I didn't do it to appear magnanimous, Chuck. You're trying to be Blair's friend again, and, though she might not admit it aloud, I know Blair's missed being part of the Upper East Side's Fab Four. She's made up with Serena, with Nate, and she wants to make up with you, too."

"And as the good boyfriend, you aim to accommodate her wishes?" Chuck questioned, and though his tone could be seen as mocking, Dan knew it was simply good-natured teasing.

"I don't see why I should object." Dan countered. "I love Blair; I trust her. Besides, I can't fault you for falling in love with her; she's one of a kind. Look, Chuck, B made an effort and befriended Vanessa for my sake. I'm just returning the favor."

Chuck smiled, stepped into the room and offered his hand to Dan. "You're a good man, Humphrey. I hate you for it."

Dan stood and shook Chuck's hand. "Happy Holidays to you, too, Bass."

The two smiled and sat down in the matching club chairs.

"You should marry her."

Dan turned towards the hotelier. "Excuse me?"

Chuck's eyes stood fast on the painting hanging atop the mantle. "I know you don't like or trust me very much, Humphrey. And maybe in another life, another circumstance, I would be doing all of this to watch you fall flat on your face. But the truth is that you make Blair happier than she's ever been, happier than I could have ever made her, and in my book, for this reason alone, you should be scouring Tiffany's for the perfect ring, getting down on one knee and asking her to abscond her standards and marry a mere mortal."

Dan leaned back in his chair and didn't stop the laugh that escaped him. "'Abscond her standards and marry a mere mortal'?" he echoed. "Could you possibly sound any more baroque?"

Chuck shrugged and turned to face the artist. "I'm trying out your kind of language," he defended. "Seriously, Dan, I think Blair is too good for any of us…but you are best poised to gain her as a wife so don't make me eat my words, don't be stupid and just propose. Blair will say yes." He sighed deeply. "Now, I need a drink."

Dan laughed. "When will it stop?" he queried rhetorically. "You, Jen, Lilly, Dad, Vanessa, Nate, Serena and Carter. If it were up to you guys, Blair and I would be married with a kid on the way right now."

Chuck raised en eyebrow. "Other people have told you to marry Blair and you still haven't listened? Take this moment as a, well, as a big, loud, obnoxious neon sign from Jesus Christ himself to get off your ass and make a move before she decides to marry some guy from Massachusetts named William Whitley the Third whose family is in banking."

"Blair actually knows a William Whitley." Dan pointed out. "He's from Boston."

"Seriously?" Chuck was dumbstruck for a moment. He frowned. "I feel like I'm in a chapter of _The Great Gatsby_. William Whitley? Hmm. That's the name of a sure fop."

The two chuckled at the unlikely image of Blair Waldorf becoming Mrs. Blair Whitley. They were still snickering when Blair entered the den. She'd been surprised to find both her boyfriend and her ex were missing and set about finding them. To say Blair was shocked at finding Dan and Chuck getting along was an understatement.

Blair crossed the room and sat in Dan's lap. "This is surely a sign of the apocalypse."

* * *

**Champs-Élysées**

**January 1st, 2012**

**12:03 a.m.**

The New Year had found Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf kissing in the middle of the large crowd gathered in the famous Parisian square. The two were bundled up in warm coats, boots, scarves, hats and gloves, as were their companions. Harold, Roman, Pierre and Philippe were too busy kissing and hugging each other to notice that the two young Americans were engrossed in naught but the other.

Philippe pulled away from his papa's embrace, reached up and tugged on his sister's hand; the size of the hand easily alerted Blair to the fact that, though she wished for the contrary, she and Dan were not alone. Blair pulled away, smiling brightly at her boyfriend.

"Happy New Year, Dan." She said.

Dan cupped Blair's face in his hands and leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. "Happy New Year, Blair."

With one final peck, Blair and Dan turned to the men of the Waldorf clan. Philippe jumped into his sister's arms, while Dan received a pat on the back from Roman. It took a few minutes for Blair to properly greet the rest of the Waldorfs.

Dan was tugging his coat closer to his body when he felt a hand slip into his pocket and drop a small object inside. He turned to his left and found Harold. Blair's father was smiling as he reached out and embraced Dan.

"Love her well, Dan." Harold uttered.

Dan nodded once. "I plan to."

Both men turned towards Blair, who was hugging Pierre and Philippe to her as she chatted with Roman and a couple of other Parisians in the square. Dan thought she looked nothing short of stunning. Her eyes were sparkling with joy, her lips upturned into a bright grin; Blair was glowing with happiness. Dan hoped to ensure she would be radiant every minute of their remaining five days in France.

* * *

**Hôtel Ritz Paris**

**December 1, 2012**

**1:34 p.m.**

Dan slipped on his coat. Blair was currently sitting at the edge of the bed, pulling on her knee-high Marc Jacobs boots. She looked stunning; Dan always thought so, even when she'd hardly slept and her hair was wild, or when she was sick and pale. They'd slept through most of the morning and, at Blair's insistence, they were heading out for a late lunch.

"Are you sure you don't want to invite the rest of the Waldorfs?" Dan queried, hoping to quell some of the nervousness he felt.

Blair shook her head and finished buttoning up the periwinkle Eleanor Waldorf Design coat she'd thrown over her Peter Som dress. "We'll have plenty of time to bond with my family, Dan." She stood and reached for her handbag.

Dan gave a shrug and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Blair raised an eyebrow.

"You've been jumpy ever since we woke up. Did you have a dream you weren't supposed to?" she teased. "Should I stake my claim by insisting that you tattoo 'Property of Blair Waldorf' on your ass?"

Dan laughed, snapping out of his tense mood. "That would sort of defeat the purpose, wouldn't it? No girl would actually see it unless… we were in a very compromising position."

"A valid point," she remarked, expertly knotting her scarf before draping his around his neck. "The forehead does seem most likely to perpetuate the message."

Dan smiled and took her gloved hand in his own. "Come on," he said. "We don't want to be late."

…

As they crossed the hotel lobby, Dan began to think that he was making a mistake. Not the asking, of course, but the execution, the plan. Maybe it would be better if he just postponed the idea until he could think of something better.

The two went through the revolving doors and stepped into the chilly air blanketing the Place Vendôme. The city looked beautiful and there was something about that moment that Dan was sure he would never be able to replicate. His choice was made.

They'd taken several steps when Dan dropped to one knee. It took a few seconds for Blair to stop as well.

When she looked back, she quipped, "You need to better learn to tie your shoes, Humphrey." When he didn't return her smile, Blair sobered. "What is it?"

Dan took a deep, steadying breath. He met her eyes, beautiful and expressive and the color of the richest molten chocolate, and asked the question he'd wanted to ask for the past year.

"We met at the end of freshman year at an Honor Society mixer," he began, voice surprisingly steady. "I know you don't remember because you came and introduced yourself years later at Bart Bass' foundation's annual brunch. To be honest, I didn't like you at all. In fact, I once told my father that you were everything that I hated about the Upper East Side-"

Blair was immediately incensed. Her eyes narrowed and she glowered; what was he trying to do, anyway? "Humphrey, what the fuck are you-"

"Please don't interrupt," Dan implored. "For two years I thought I knew who you were. I was so incredibly wrong. I had absolutely no idea the kind of person you truly were until I spent that hour with you on the Plaza terrace October of last year. That night, Blair…that night I discovered that you are kind and generous, caring, loving, understanding, extremely brilliant and extraordinarily beautiful. I fell in love with you that night, B, and every day that passes I'm in love with you a little more. I want to see your face and hear your voice every single day, to wake up beside you every morning and share your bed at night. I want to dedicate everything I write to you, to see your eyes light up whenever you open a new exhibit. I want to be father to those children you spoke of having, and I want us to raise them to be as wonderful as you are. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how much."

Dan sighed softly and plowed on.

"I know I'm _déclassé_, but I promise you that no one in this world will ever try to make you as happy as I will." Dan reached into his pocket and extracted the Tiffany & Co. ring box Harold had discretely snuck to him just hours before. "So…Blair Cornelia Waldorf, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Marry me, Blair."

The brunette heiress' eyes widened, her jaw dropped, and for a moment, Dan thought he was about to be rejected. But then Blair was crashing into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and nearly yelling, "Yes! Of course yes. Of course I will!" as she kissed the top of his head.

Dan rose and Blair kissed him on the lips, her mouth molding to his even as she sported an enthusiastic grin.

"The ring." Dan muttered, pulling away a fraction of an inch. "You haven't seen your ring."

"I'm sure I'll love it." Blair assured, pecking his cheek and nose and lips. "Where did you hide it, anyway? I went through your luggage before we left New York."

Dan shrugged and smiled. "I airmailed it to your dad a week before we flew out so you wouldn't find it when you packed some of your things into my suitcase," he explained.

Dan opened the Tiffany blue box and took hold of Blair's left hand; she helped him out by removing her glove.

The ring was stunning; it was large enough to be noticed but not large enough to be cumbersome or ostentatious, with a two-carat round brilliant solitaire and a square-cut Channel-set band. The clarity of the stones was superb, per the Tiffany & Co. tradition. Dan slipped the ring onto the fourth finger of Blair's left hand. The new weight was a welcomed one, and Blair brightened even further.

Dan pulled Blair into his arms, kissing her deeply. "I can't believe you said yes."

Blair raised an eyebrow. "You doubted that I would accept? Dan, I'm in love with you. Your entire family- and mine, for that matter- have been trying to get us to this point since last year." She smiled as she ran a hand through his hair. "Last year I wouldn't have been ready; today, there is nothing I want more. Besides, you were romantic, like out of a Hepburn movie; how could I say no to my personal Fred?"

Dan laughed. "O'Toole. Isn't it Peter O'Toole who romances Audrey Hepburn in front of the Ritz?"

Blair nodded once. "Yes, he does; _How to Steal a Million_. Gary Cooper does it in _Love in the Afternoon_. Speaking of which…I suppose this _is_ love in the afternoon." She paused, smiling brightly. "Although…you're not really Cooper or O'Toole. Bogart, yes; Peck and Peppard, too."

There was silence but neither of them minded; it was the comfortable silences that made their relationship, after all.

It was Dan who broke the spell. "I'm freezing; aren't you?"

Blair laughed and nodded emphatically. "Yes, I am. Let's go back inside. I want to tell Roman and the boys. And I have to call my mom and your parents, Jenny, Serena, Eric…the list is endless." She noted the expression on her fiancé's face. How good it felt to be able to refer to Dan that way, Blair thought. "Did they all know you were going to propose?"

"Your dad knew, obviously, as did Eleanor; I spoke to them and asked for your hand. But everybody else is in the dark." Dan replied. "You're only going to be able to make so many phone calls, Blair. Might I suggest you get some mass-message worked out?"

"If I know Eleanor Waldorf-Rose, she's got an announcement ready and waiting our final approval for submission to the _New York Times_." Blair said.

Dan reached for Blair's hand, lacing their fingers and running his thumb across the face of her engagement ring; it really did look lovely on her hand. "Do you want to have lunch at the restaurant or order room service? I mean, we can still make our reservation."

Blair smiled mischievously. "Do you really need to ask, Cabbage Patch?"

Dan gave an innocent shrug and the two made their way back into the lobby. "I just don't want you to think I'm marrying you solely for your body."

* * *

**There we are, ladies and gentlemen. Dan and Blair are getting married. So, what'd you think. Love it or hate it, I'd be happy to know.**


	11. Agitato

**Well, here we are again. This was an interesting bit to write up, because of the humor mixed into some pretty heavy scenes. That being said, I hope you like what you read as much as I liked writing it. The title is in reference to the musical tempo marking, which means agitated.**

**This is dedicated to my new beta, BlackLace922, who has been nothing but a Godsend.**

* * *

**Art Studio- Hudson**

**January 3, 2012**

**11:19 a.m.**

Eleanor ran her eyes across the faint pencil lines on the wide canvas. The silhouette was beautiful; the painting was sure to be a well-coveted piece. The founder of her eponymous New York City-based fashion powerhouse didn't expect to find herself in Hudson during the holidays but the trip had been a necessity; quite literally, essential to her daughter's happiness, and Eleanor would do anything for Blair.

"I didn't know how you took your coffee so I brought sugar and milk along."

Eleanor turned to find Alison Humphrey holding a coffee tray. The artist set the tray on the coffee table and the two women took a seat opposite each other.

"The collection will be extraordinary." Eleanor appraised. "It's such a pity you've chosen it for display at a substandard gallery, though."

The corners of Alison's mouth tightened. "That's not true. Just because I don't want Rufus to-"

"Please do not insult my intelligence," Eleanor said. "You're still angry with him for reuniting with Lilly."

Alison reached for her coffee cup- for a moment Eleanor thought the piping hot contents might be flung at her, the blonde was so wound up. Alison simply took a sip.

"It's really none of my business."

Eleanor smiled knowingly, leaning back against the, in her opinion, hideous-print armchair. "But of course it is. He was your husband. He is the father of your children. You loved him, fixed him, after Lillian Rhodes broke his heart and after the two of you are said and done, he goes right back to her like a trained puppy. Of all the women in Manhattan, in the _world_, he picks Lilly again."

For a moment the room was silent and Eleanor took the opportunity to breathe deep and steel herself for the fight.

"You slept with another man. You left your family, came up here, and slept with another man." When Alison opened her mouth to counter, Eleanor cut her off with a swift wave of her hand. "I'm sure you didn't think of it precisely that way. It was never your intention to hurt Rufus or your children. You never thought he would find out. I was married to Harold Waldorf for nineteen years. And for nineteen years, I adored him. I fell in love him the first time I met him; the French call it _coup de foudre_- literally 'strike of thunder'. It was love at first sight. And two years into our marriage, Harold gave me the most precious gift anyone has ever given me: our daughter Blair.

"I'd long suspected his dalliances, sometimes acknowledged them, but they were of no matter because at the end of the day, he came home to me. When Roman happened, when Harold left me and told me he was _in love_ with Roman, I wanted to die. The pain was overwhelming and I lashed out by taking from him the one person he loved most; I refused to share custody of Blair even for a moment. What I failed to see was that the one who suffered the most was our daughter."

Eleanor reached for her coffee taking a sip of the rich, dark liquid. "I believed that our marriage, our relationship, had been nothing more than an error in judgment; a mistake on his part because he was gay, and a mistake on my part because I should've known better, because I should have never given myself so openly to anyone. The worst of it all is that I made no secret as to my new opinion on my failed marriage. I told Blair that Harold and I had been a mishap. What I didn't realize was that I was, in turn, telling her that _she_ was an accident. And that is simply not true."

Alison set her cup down and ran a hand through her blonde hair. "I'm sorry but I don't see what this has to do with me."

"I don't want for you to see your marriage to Rufus as a mistake."

"It _was_ a mistake." Alison asserted. The artist got up from her seat and walked over to the canvas Eleanor had previously admired. She ran a hand across the lines. "The love of Rufus' life has always been Lilly. I guess I was too starry-eyed to pay it much notice. He's back where he belongs with the woman he loves and…Rufus has his own life now, Eleanor; I'm not a part of it."

"You will always be a part of his life. You're the mother of two of his children. You birthed his firstborn. You gave him his only daughter. Daniel and Jennifer will bind you two together until the day your die. You hurt him and that is not okay. He moved on and that is. But at the end of the day, there are only two people who should matter to you: your children. Nothing you craft will ever match the perfection the two of created when you made Dan and Jenny. I should know; it took me a while, but I came to the same conclusion about Harold and Blair. Without him I would've never had her. And nothing scares me more than the thought of losing my daughter."

Alison turned toward the designer, tears sparkling in her brilliant blue eyes. "What would have me do, then?"

"Let go." Eleanor set her cup down and reached into her Hermés Birkin bag for a small envelope. She offered it to Alison. "Your son and my daughter are getting married, as you know. I've organized a little dinner for them. It's nothing big, mostly family and close friends. It's a quick celebratory dinner. We would all love for you to attend. As Dan's mother, you have every right to be there. And Blair very much wants to see you again."

Alison took the invitation and opened it. She smiled as soon as she saw Dan's name linked with Blair's in the gilded writing. She liked the formerly spoiled brunette heiress whom Jenny had sometimes brought her down from Yale for a visit; Blair would be good to her son.

Alison looked up to find Eleanor Waldorf-Rose, clad in an Yves Saint Laurent pantsuit and Manolo Blahnik pumps, smiling as she sat in the living room of a house that was sure to be smaller than the guesthouse at the designer's country home. My, but they would make the oddest of families, Alison thought. And yet she could tell they would be one of the happiest, too.

* * *

**van der Humphrey Townhouse**

**January 3, 2012**

**2:31 p.m.**

"You didn't have to go all the way up to Hudson, Eleanor. I would've gone myself. I would've called."

Eleanor brushed off Rufus' comment with a wave of the hand. "She would not have picked up. I needed to do this, to have this conversation with Alison, not just for the sake of a dinner party."

The two sat in the living room, matching cups of ginger tea in their hands. Lilly was visiting with Serena at a fashion shoot in the Village, and Eric, Jenny and their respective boyfriends had all gone ice skating at Wollman Rink. Chris slept peacefully in his nursery.

"I've not been a good mother to Blair. There's no point in denying it. I was so hard on her, even when she was just a girl, wanting her to be perfect. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but I pushed her to be the best. It wasn't out of malice; I genuinely just wanted the best for her, I wanted for Blair to gain access to all the opportunities available. Unfortunately, I am not the best communicator. I never explained to her why I was so critical, and she never understood. And to top it all off, I was an absent parent. Blair came first in my heart but not in my head."

Rufus reached out and set a hand on Eleanor's- a comforting gesture. "Blair loves you, Eleanor. I know this."

"When I found out about Nate and Chuck and the possible pregnancy I just…I had no idea what was happening in Blair's life." Eleanor looked so forlorn that Rufus shifted closer to her on the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in the patented Humphrey comforting embrace. "She didn't offer and I didn't ask. We simply could not live like that. I've spent every day since then trying to make it up her, fighting to show Blair how important she is to me. I needed to go talk to Alison for Blair. I needed to remind Alison that Dan and Jenny are her priorities because if having Alison attend this dinner makes Daniel happy, then my daughter will be happy."

Rufus smiled. "That's good parenting. Eleanor, Blair forgave you a long time ago. She knows you care, sometimes to a fault- she did run away from you at my and Lilly's engagement party."

Eleanor sniffed imperiously and it was all Rufus could do not to laugh, that move being so classically Blair. "I wanted to ensure that she was fine with having Chuck there. I would've arranged for him and Nate to disappear if she'd asked."

This time, Rufus did laugh. "You showed Blair you care. You did it then and you're doing it now. You're a good mother, Eleanor. Even good parents make mistakes. Lord knows I've had my share."

Eleanor raised an eyebrow and took a dainty sip of her tea. "Well, there are rumors about someone losing Jennifer at the MOMA when she was five."

Rufus dropped his head and sighed. "She was a wily child."

* * *

**The Palace Hotel- Ballroom**

**January 7, 2012**

**6:52 p.m.**

"That ring is gorgeous."

Blair looked at the shinning bauble she now sported on the fourth finger of her left hand. She smiled; it was patently obvious to the guests that she was still walking on air. While Blair and Dan had continued their Parisian vacation, Eleanor had gathered the troops and organized a lovely dinner with their family and closest friends.

"My son has good taste." Alison finished.

Blair smiled. Her fiancé's mother looked lovely in a butter-cream dress from Jenny's collection. It'd been such a welcome surprise to arrive at the party and find Alison there, happily chatting with Cyrus and Tarah, who had flown into JFK two days early to attend.

"He certainly does." Blair concurred.

Alison leaned in just a nudge. "And not just on matters of jewelry. I know we haven't spent as much time together as you have with Rufus, but I think that I've come to know you quite well those weekends you joined my daughter and I up in Hudson. The first thing that I noted was that you'd changed. You were polite that Thanksgiving we met, and though you didn't say anything out loud, I could tell you were less than impressed with us."

Blair's eyes lit up with mortification. "Alison, I-"

Alison ended all interruption with the wave of her hand. "I understand. You were certainly used to more. I was not any better, Blair; I judged you, too. That being said, I don't think there is anybody else in this world that is a better match for Dan. When Jenny called to tell me you were coming with her to visit, I thought my daughter was crazy. I didn't see how she could've possibly looked past all you said and did and befriended you. When I actually spent time with you, I realized that you'd both hurt the other, and that you and Jenny had both grown tremendously. You were now someone entirely different than the spoiled girl I met in New York. You were strong and diligent, considerate…most of all, Blair, you were loyal. You showed me that you love fiercely and devotedly. I couldn't ask for anyone better for Dan."

Emotion welled up and lodged in Blair's throat. She pushed past it all, determined not to cry before cocktails were through.

Alison smiled and reached out to wrap her arms around Blair in a warm embrace. "I just want to welcome you to our family- however crazy we might be."

Blair laughed. "Both the bride and the groom's side seem to be evenly matched on that front," she joked. Blair sobered but a moment later. "Thank you. It means a lot that you think I'm good enough for your son."

- - -

"So, are you a friend of the blushing bride or the somewhat dashing groom?"

Tarah turned to her right; Chuck Bass stood beside her, looking handsome in stone-colored trousers, a green tattersall and a gold silk tie under a simple gray button-up cardigan.

"It's a little early to use that line, isn't it? Blair and Dan haven't even picked a date yet." She replied. "But if you really must know, I'm a friend of Blair's."

Just as Chuck was about to respond, a familiar arm wrapped around one of his. "Look at you, Bass. Where's the loud ascot or printed sweater?"

Chuck grinned at his former stepsister. "I thought Humphrey might appreciate being the center of attention for a night. You're fetching as always, Serena. What do you say we head into the kitchen for a grilled cheese with truffle oil? Still your favorite, right?"

Serena laughed. "Tempting, really, but I'm with Carter now."

"I've heard. I'm sorry." When Serena pinched the crook of his elbow, Chuck winced. "Need I remind you who Carter Baizen is exactly?"

Serena sighed. "Carter is different now. I'm different. We _all_ are, Chuck, even you. For whatever reason, you are one of my oldest friends, and I'd like it if you gave him another chance. Nate did. B did."

"I _did_ give Humphrey the benefit of the doubt." He speculated. "Your boytoy had better not provoke me, S. As we both know, I can be quite the bitch when I want to be."

Serena rolled her eyes. "That's the understatement of the decade. Come, I want you two to kiss and make up."

Chuck gave Tarah one last, lingering, lustful gaze before allowing the blonde to lead him across the room towards her beau. "I sincerely hope that sentiment is in the most figurative of senses."

- - -

"I'm glad Chuck knows about the benefits of a well-stocked bar." Dan said as he joined Blair at the head of the table. He glanced at the crowd. "None of us should be doing this sober."

The brunette laughed and sipped at her martini. "I talked to your mom."

"It's great that she came. I don't see her much; that's as much my fault as it is hers but it's really good to see her." Dan said. "And have her talk to dad and…she said 'hi' to Lilly. That's amazing."

Blair rested her chin on his shoulder. "Cyrus told me my mother went to see her. Apparently, the two of them had a very pleasant conversation in which Eleanor convinced Alison to come."

Dan smiled. "Who would've ever imagined Eleanor Waldorf-Rose visiting an artist's studio in Hudson? It was very nice of her. Remind me to thank your mother before we head home."

"You're being a bit presumptuous, Mr. Humphrey." Blair responded coquettishly. "Just who says that I'm going home with you?"

Dan turned to face her and raised an eyebrow in response. It was the only one needed for Blair giggled and kissed him. It was several minutes before the two ended their impromptu make-out session.

"I have to go back up to Connecticut tomorrow." Blair reminded her fiancé. "It's just awful."

"I know. What's worse, I'm going to have to come right back tomorrow afternoon; I have a meeting with John at six." Dan said. "It seems that his life's only purpose is to ensure that I'm naught but a neurotic mess."

Blair smiled and pecked his mouth again. Neither noted their new companion until she cleared her throat and plopped unceremoniously into the empty chair to Blair's left. The brunette pulled away from her fiancé, turned to face her friend and raised an eyebrow in query.

"Chuck Bass just propositioned me." Tarah revealed, reaching for Blair's martini. She took a healthy swallow.

"Overshare." Dan commented, sitting back in his chair.

Blair paused for a moment, lips pouting prettily. "Hmm. Not surprising. I mean, he's always been at least moderately charming and you're stunning. I don't see the problem, Tarah. If you don't want him, make it perfectly clear. Chuck will annoy the fuck out of you but then generally leave you alone. And if you _are_ interested, then…let him know, too. Preferably furtively. Trust me, you do not want the nature of your sex life as the headliner in UES parlor conversation."

Tarah rolled her eyes and downed the rest of Blair's drink. "Not gonna happen. He's the Basshole who hurt you and nearly ruined your life. As a sign of solidarity, I couldn't even if I wanted to. No matter how hot I think he looks."

Just as Blair and Dan were about to comment, dinner was called.

**

* * *

**

**Leverett-Griswold House**

**January 16, 2012**

**5:23 p.m.**

Blair sipped at the finely prepared tea. She'd been invited to join the Elizabethan Club in her sophomore year and she liked to employ the benefits her membership by stopping by and partaking in the one of the Club's most basic traditions; the prestigious (and highly exclusive) social club offered daily afternoon tea service from four to six, and Blair was of the opinion that the detour was more than worth the effort if only for the tea.

The Lizzie, as it was affectionately known, held in its collection some of the most celebrated works of literature by William Shakespeare and other authors of the 16th and 17th centuries and many were originals or first editions. Sitting in the Tea Room of the Federal-style house, Blair thought of how much Dan would enjoy membership, of how he would've loved browsing through the stacks in the Governors Room or sitting in the Study Room to browse issues of _Punch_.

"Facebook!" exclaimed Gabriel as he, Blair, and two other students sat together. "I'm still getting people asking me if it's true. I can't believe you announced you were getting married by updating your status on Facebook."

The brunette shrugged a shoulder and set down the fine bone china cup. "There was an announcement in the _Times_, too; my mother made sure of that. It's just that I wasn't going to be able to call everyone and changing my relationship status on Facebook seemed like the best solution."

Gabriel laughed, the rich timbre filling the room. "It certainly was effective. Have you two thought about setting a date yet?"

Blair fiddled with the phoenix-print silk scarf knotted around her neck and shook her head. "Dan and I aren't getting married until after we graduate. I don't think we'll be settling on a date until this summer. Right now we're just enjoying being engaged. Why do you ask?"

"Just wanted to know if I should get a new tux anytime soon. Jenny's pretty excited." Gabriel answered. "I think it's because she's in charge of designing the bridesmaid dresses."

"J's a brilliant designer and my mother is going to be busy enough with my dress. Don't worry, Gabriel, when Dan and I decide on a day, we'll let you know personally." Blair smiled and stood, gathering her Balenciaga purse. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my dorm. I have homework to do and I think I ran out of flashcards."

Gabriel stood in gentlemanly fashion and courteously kissed Blair's cheek. "My mom sent me off with three times what I need in office supplies. Let me know if you need me to drop something off. I'll be around there anyway; I'm meeting Jen at D'port at seven. Have a nice evening, Miss Waldorf."

"Likewise, Mr. Gorman."

* * *

**Saybrook College**

**January 16, 2012**

**6:43 p.m.**

The knocking was ridiculously loud and insistent. Blair tossed her highlighter beside her book and got up from her desk chair. She pulled open the door to find Serena standing in the hall, looking small and dejected. Serena's typically lustrous locks were flat, her eyes were rimmed with red and there was something so moving about Serena's expression- a combination of fear and confusion and raw vulnerability- that Blair didn't have the heart to point out to the blonde that her top totally clashed with her coat. Blair immediately reached for her friend, pulling the blonde into a fierce embrace. Serena crumpled against Blair, saddling her best friend's smaller frame with extra weight. Blair didn't mind; Serena obviously needed her.

"Let's get inside." Blair said, guiding the blonde into the room. She managed to kick the door shut before leading Serena over to her bed. "Sit. S, what happened? Serena, what's wrong?"

The model sat in the middle of the mattress, knees up to her chest, head cradled in both hands. Blair took a seat on the edge of the bed and took hold of her friend's hand, lacing her fingers with Serena's.

"S, you're my best friend; I love you. Please tell me what's wrong." Blair insisted.

Though her voice was muffled due to her position, Serena's words rang clearly in Blair's ears: "I think I'm pregnant."

Blair took a few moments to blink the surprise from her eyes and pick her jaw up off the floor. Taking a deep breath she scooted up in the bed and hugged Serena. The blonde returned the embrace, tucking her head into the crook of Blair's shoulder, tears quickly moistening the fabric of Blair's Tory Burch sweater.

"Oh, honey." Blair ran a hand through Serena's hair. "Are you sure?"

Serena nodded. "I'm, like, three weeks late," she answered, voice thick. "I, uh…I wanted to make sure but…I can't do it alone, Blair."

"Okay," Blair said, her voice conveying a lot more calm than she actually felt. "You know that I'm here for you, Serena, no matter what happens."

The gravity of the situation resonated loudly in quiet room. The paradox did not escape the brunette who knew it was up to her to bring up the question. "Does Carter know?"

Serena shook her head. "No. He…he thinks I'm visiting Eric in Providence right now. You're the only person I've told. I need you, B. I need you to help me…I just need you right now." She raised her head and wiped at her eyes. "I know you have class and homework and everything. And I know I'm interrupting and…I'm sorry."

Blair smiled warmly. "Don't be sorry. We're family, remember? Sisters 'til the end. Homework can wait; class notes can be copied. What do you want to do? We can go out and buy a test right now. You could know tonight. Do you want to do that, Serena?"

The blonde nodded her head just once. "Yeah…I do."

- - -

Gabriel shoved the small bag into Blair's hands. "Here. I got what you asked me to." He watched as the brunette checked the contents of the bag. "By the way, I can never show my face at the DUH again. Ever. I think I blushed something close to eight separate shades of red requesting these from the on-duty nurse."

Blair raised an eyebrow. "Really, now, Gorman. Man up. It was only four home pregnancy tests. I'm fairly certain you have a firsthand knowledge of what sex is and what the contents of these boxes are used for."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "You asked for four _different_ brands, Blair. The woman thought I was insane, coming in there with a fucking shopping list consisting of pregnancy tests. I seriously had to buy them off of her, which I don't think we're supposed to do. And if you think it's all so well and good, why didn't you go get them yourself?"

Blair looked through the contents of the bag. "You offered, remember? Just be thankful I didn't send you to buy them off-campus." She raised her eyes and met Gabriel's green eyes. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Gabriel gave a nod. He could make out Serena sitting on Blair's bed from where he stood in the hallway. Though he'd spent very little time with her outside of Blair's birthday party, Gabriel had gotten the feeling that Serena was usually the life of the party, and the way she looked indicated that that the blonde was in New Haven seeking support rather than offering it. "Don't mention it…and I promise not to either," he said. "I have the distinct feeling that Serena wants to keep this hush-hush so…my official story is that I came and brought you some flashcards."

Blair laughed and extracted the packet of lined 3x5 index cards from the bag. "That you did."

"I'm late to meet Jenny. Tell Serena I hope everything works out the way she wants it to, whatever that might be." Gabriel said, as he slipped one hand into the pocket of his Brooks Brothers slacks; he reached up to loosen the knot on his Lizzie's phoenix-motif tie with the other. "Goodnight, Blair."

"Goodnight, Gabriel."

- - -

She leaned against the sink and softly sighed. As she and Serena anxiously waited for the results, Blair's mind drifted back to a time where she'd been on the other side of the situation. She'd been so scared at the possibility of being pregnant, frightened that she wouldn't be able to determine if Nate or Chuck was the father, terrified of what people would think, of what they would say, and absolutely petrified of what it would all mean, of how her life would unequivocally change. Blair had recognized all of this in Serena's azure gaze, and the brunette surmised that the possibility of being an unwed mother was no less worrisome at twenty-one than it had been at seventeen.

Serena was seated on a towel that she'd spread out on the tiled floor, forehead resting on bent knees. She was really quite tired of the crying. When she realized that there was a strong possibility of unexpectedly becoming a mother, Serena had thrown herself into her work. She'd avoided Carter as much as possible, going so far as to accept appearing in a _Vogue_ shoot in Hilo, though she'd previously expressed dislike of the photographer. By the time two weeks had passed, Serena had been a walking ball of nerves. It took her a few days to gather up the courage to visit Blair, and once she made up her mind, she'd been too worked up to do much more than throw on the first thing she found in her wardrobe. On the train ride up to Connecticut, Serena had the (mis)fortune of sitting across the aisle from a young woman and her toddler son. She'd watched them with unexplained fascination, taking in the boy's dark hair and sparkling eyes, which reminded her so much of Carter's; Serena had wanted to run away and leave Carter behind, and head back to him and his 61st Street apartment at the same time. By the time the trained pulled into Union Station, Serena was the conflicted wreck that had appeared on Blair's doorstep.

When they'd settled in for the wait, Blair had tried to sit beside Serena, but the van der Woodsen heiress had brushed her off. Serena had not spoken a word since Gabriel dropped by and Blair had a strong suspicion that he was at the root of Serena's displeasure.

"You're going to have to talk to me sometime, Serena." Blair pointed out, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't see how you could possibly be angry with me right now."

Serena's eyes were hard. "Really? Jenny's boyfriend dropped off the tests. She probably knows by now, which means Rufus knows and so does Lilly, Dan and…should I go on? My life is being broadcast all across Manhattan and you want me to be okay with it? Fuck, Blair! I thought you, better than anyone else, would understand."

"Jenny doesn't know a thing. I didn't tell him anything and Gabriel promised he wouldn't reveal what he _does_ know. After the embarrassment he suffered to procure the tests, I doubt he'd lie. And, on the off chance that he let something slip, Jenny would _never_ tell. You know that, Serena; you two are sisters." Blair defended. She fixed he best friend with an impenitent stare. "I'm not going to apologize for staying with you instead of rummaging around campus for a stupid pregnancy test."

Serena's eyes welled up but she did not cry; truthfully, she didn't know if she had any left. Blair pushed away from the countertop, dropped down on the floor beside Serena and gathered the actress into her arms. The two sat silently on the floor for what seemed like an eternity. The alarm on Blair's cell announced that the wait was over.

Serena swallowed past the lump in her throat. "B, I can't…"

The Yalie kissed Serena's forehead and stood. Blair took a few moments to read the results on each of the four tests resting atop the toilet lid, and another to formulate the proper response.

Blair turned to face Serena's wide baby blues. "I'm going to be the best godmother."

* * *

**Ladies and gentlemen, drop me a line and let me know what you think.**

* * *


	12. Continuous Narrative

To SilkenBone922 for everything that you do.

* * *

**The Palm Restaurant**

**January 16, 2012**

**8:42 p.m.**

The punch line to Nate's joke was so juvenile that Dan couldn't help but laugh. He sat at one of the center tables at the famed Second Avenue restaurant with three men Dan would've never thought he would call friends.

The dinner had been Nate's brainchild. The Archibald heir felt it was time for Carter and Chuck to get past their issues and learn to be civil- if only for Serena. The first thirty minutes had been tense; Chuck threatened to leave several times while Carter just rolled up his sleeves and kept ordering drinks.

In the end it was Nate's abundant supply of horrendously sophomoric jokes that eased the atmosphere. Dan could just imagine what they looked like to the other patrons: Carter, the harried businessman, in his Brooks Brothers suit, jacket draped over the back of his chair, tie loose; Nate, sporty and collected, in jeans and a polo under a navy blue Ralph Lauren pullover; Chuck, flamboyant and at ease, in a red chambray sports coat and red, green, purple and blue bowtie; and Dan, the laid-back and studious Brooklynite, in slacks, button-up, and sweater. The four couldn't be more different.

"So, it's Monday night," Nate said, jovially clapping his best friend on the shoulder, "how come Chuck Bass is sitting here with us? Dude, what's the world coming to if you don't have girls lined up for every day of the week?"

Dan watched as the hotelier ducked his head slightly and instead of answering, took a long drink from his glass.

"I have a feeling Chuck doesn't think just any girl will suffice," Dan quipped. "Our Mister Bass is growing up."

Chuck raised his gaze and fixed Dan with a glare that would've crumbled lesser men. "Fuck you, Humphrey."

Dan smiled. He'd noted the way Chuck and Tarah behaved around the other during the dinner Eleanor had given in Dan and Blair's honor- both were attracted to the other…and both were fiercely loyal to Blair. The writer had a feeling that neither Tarah nor Chuck would make a move without Blair's approval. The need for the Saybrugian's consent might've seemed extreme, but after everything that happened between them, Chuck was not willing to lose his friendship with Blair for anyone, and Tarah hoped to carry the honor of being the only one of Blair's besties to never betray her.

"She's interested, you know," Dan continued casually. "To tell you the truth, Blair and I were kind of shocked you didn't ask for her number."

Chuck raised an eyebrow. "Who says _I'm_ interested in _her_?" he queried. "Humphrey, I've got waiting lists for every city. She's just another of Blair's Yalie friends."

Carter scoffed, attracting his companions' attentions. "You propositioned her. That kinda gave you away, Bass. Hey, I can see it; she's hot."

"Wait," Nate broke in, secretly goading his best friend into reacting. "Whom are we talking about exactly?"

"Tarah," Dan and Chuck answered simultaneously, much to Nate's amusement.

Dan scratched his unshaven cheek. He'd opted for slumber over beauty that morning and he knew if Blair saw him she would most likely begrudge his choice. "Look, Blair doesn't mind as long as you're making a serious pitch. Tarah is one of B's best friends so if you're thinking about maybe settling down with just one girl, you've got the green light. Otherwise, you can just forget it; Blair's not going to stand for you making her friend your next conquest."

Chuck drained his glass and motioned for a refill. "Who I bring into my bed is none of your, or Blair's, business. That said, I don't just want Tarah as my next bedmate. She's… intriguing, spirited. She reminds me of Blair." Chuck watched for jealousy to take over Humphrey's features but none appeared just understanding and agreement. "Not that it matters since she shot me down."

"I thought Chuck Bass was nothing if not persistent," Carter pointed out.

Chuck slapped the table. "That's the end of this conversation," he proclaimed.

Nate picked up on the warning. "So," he began, directing his question towards Carter, "how is Serena? I haven't seen her in a while."

Carter sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Neither have I. I wish I knew what the hell was going on in her head because I'm fucking lost. She's been so distant, taking on all these shoots around the world. She went up to see Eric for week even though he's got class…I don't know. I mean, something's obviously wrong, I just wish Serena would tell me."

Nate chuckled softly. "That sounds like her."

Chuck's answer was much wiser. "Serena has always been free spirited. Whenever she begins to feel corralled, it's in her nature to run. The thing about Serena is that, if you wait, she'll come back. It's best you learn this well, Baizen; S won't ever be the kind of girl you can cage up."

Carter spotted Dan shaking his head and turned to him. "What, you don't agree?"

Startled free from his thoughts, Dan stumbled to give a proper answer. "Uh, no, I completely agree with Chuck. When Serena realizes that you're not going to bolt or hurt her, she'll settle down. S is surprisingly like Blair that way."

Carter took a moment to absorb Chuck's advice and Dan's assurance. He pushed his chair back. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Dan waited for the businessman to be out of hearing range before uttering, "Serena lied."

"What are you talking about?" Nate questioned, brow furrowed.

"I had lunch with Eric today. He's got a project in the city; he's not going back to Rhode Island until Thursday," Dan revealed. "Serena knew."

"Well, then, Serena must've forgotten." Nate speculated. "She's probably on her way back."

Chuck smirked and leaned forward, resting a forearm on the tabletop. "Bullshit. S wouldn't disrupt Eric's schedule without a reason. Blair's calendar, however, is always up for rescheduling. Humphrey, your fiancée and your ex are having secret get-togethers without you. Jealous?"

Dan rolled his eyes at Chuck inappropriateness and replied sarcastically, "No. Just think of the possibilities it opens up for me."

"Potential threesomes aside," Nate broke in, "let's get down to the real issue. Chuck is right; Serena's probably at Yale with Blair. She knew that Eric wasn't going to be at Brown. Which begs the question, why all the mystery? Why didn't Serena just tell Carter that she was going to see Blair?"

Carter's return stopped that conversation cold. The men shared a hasty glance; they weren't done on that topic.

Carter resumed his seat. "Nate, how are you and Vanessa doing?"

"Uh, we're good. She's working really hard on her new student film so we haven't been out to the Hamptons much. I think my mom's willing to brave the harsh criticism of Manhattan just to see us." Nate replied. He ran a hand through his sandy locks. "I love my mother but I never thought she'd see Vanessa the same way I do, never thought she'd accept her as my wife, but she did. Apparently that marine air _actually_ does wonders for people. What about you and Blair, Dan? Set a date yet?"

Dan smiled contentedly. "We've agreed on a tentative date. I think B wanted to check with the locale to make sure they were free before we confirm."

"Locale? I thought you weren't deciding on anything until the summer." Nate pointed out. "I knew Blair wouldn't be able to stop herself. She's probably got half the stuff ready to go."

"The girl is a perfectionist and a romantic," Carter commented. "She's had this stuff ready for years."

"She's got Eleanor, Lilly and Dorota helping her out in the city," Dan said, "plus Jenny and Tarah up in Connecticut. No matter what, this is going to be the wedding Blair wants."

"What about you?" Carter pressed on. "Any requests that Blair's had to accommodate?"

Dan shrugged in his usual unpretentious manner. "Aside from having the bride show up and ready to say 'I do'? No. It's not that I don't care what kind of flower arrangements we have or the cut of the suit I'll be wearing or who will perform the service or even _where_, it's just that I don't think any of that should be more important than the fact that I'm going to be marrying Blair." He exhaled and then took a look at his companions. Nate and Carter were listening intently but Chuck was checking out the waitress' ass. "Since when do we discuss party details anyway?"

"Good point," Carter conceded, leaning back against his chair. "How about the Patriots?"

"Dude, I watch soccer. DC United." Nate replied. "I mean, nothing against football or anything, it's just that I played lacrosse and soccer in school."

Chuck smiled. "Polo. Cricket. Something dignified and reflective of my standing."

Carter turned towards Dan, hopefully the one man who'd side with him. Dan bobbed his head once before turning to Nate. "DC United? Arsenal would totally kick their asses. I keep telling you that you've got to catch a couple of Premier League games." When he heard Carter sigh, Dan added, "And the Patriots? Are you a New Yorker or not? Jeez, it's Giants all the way, Baizen."

When Carter laughed, Chuck denigrated all forms of football (American or otherwise), and he and Dan began to debate the merits of MLS versus England's Premier League, Nate knew his idea had proved a success.

* * *

**GILT, New York Palace Hotel**

**January 16, 2012**

**11:09 p.m.**

The three St. Jude's Class of 2009 graduates sat at the bar with snifters of bourbon in their hands. Carter had begged off the late night drinks, citing an early morning marketing meeting. Dan's thoughts drifted to the French paper he had to finish before his 10:35 Lit seminar on Milton and decided his time was better spent with hard liquor rather than at home.

"Are you going to call?" Chuck prompted, resting his cheek on the palm of his hand. "Or would you rather someone with actual balls did?"

Dan glared at his former rival. Chuck sometimes took it too far, he thought, but this time he was right on. Someone needed to find out what the hell was going on with Serena and who better than Dan? Serena was, after all, his stepsister, and Blair was his fiancée. Dan reached for his BlackBerry and dialed.

He immediately knew there was something wrong. While Blair would never be at the beck and call of any man, it was customary for her to answer he cell phone after two rings. Blair's phone rang four times before she answered, with a breathy, "_Hi_."

"Hi," Dan replied.

"_Hi. What's with all the noise? I thought you had a paper to finish up. I remember you begrudging the French to me_." Blair said.

Her tone was measured and her words carefully chosen; Blair might as well have been holding up a sign that read: _I'm keeping something from you_. Dan took a moment to organize his thoughts before speaking.

"What's going on, Blair?" he asked. "I know something's wrong."

"_I don't know what you're talking about. Everything's fine_-"

"Please don't lie to me," Dan requested. He got up from his seat, much to Chuck and Nate's protestations, and made his way out of the bar towards the lobby, which was decidedly quieter- and more private. "Serena told Carter that she was going to see Eric. We both know that's not true; Serena went up to see _you_. Why?"

Blair paused. "_I can't say. It's not my secret to tell, Dan, it's Serena's. She's here and she's fine. We're both okay. Is that enough_?"

"No, it's not, but it'll do for now." Dan replied. "I'm glad Serena is safe with you. I don't like being an unwilling accomplice to Serena's lying but I'm not going to say anything to Carter, and I'll make sure Nate and Chuck keep their mouths shut, too."

"_Nate and Chuck know? How the hell did they find out_?" Serena demanded, yanking the phone out of her bestie's hand and pressing it against her ear. "_Dan what's going on_?"

"That's what we'd like to know," he countered. Dan sat in one of the large wing chairs and ran a hand through his hair. "We were all out to dinner tonight, Carter included. I didn't say anything to your boyfriend, Serena, but Nate, Chuck and I were worried about you."

"_Uh, I'm okay now_," Serena assured, and for the first time Dan took notice of her voice, soft and laced with tears. "_I just…can you just give me a couple of days, please? I'll tell you everything, I promise, I just need some time to process_."

Dan sighed inaudibly and nodded. "Uh, yeah, Serena, take the time you need. I need to go; will you tell Blair that I love her?" Serena had barely begun replying when Dan broke in, "Goodbye."

Ending the call, Dan shoved his BlackBerry into his pocket and shook his head. The drama associated with the Upper East Side was definitely something he could live without.

* * *

**Saybrook College**

**January 20, 2012**

**5:13 p.m.**

"S, you're going to have to tell him sometime."

Serena raised her head from its place on Blair's soft pillow. She spotted her brunette best friend sitting at her desk, course packet open and fingers flying across the keyboard of her MacBook Pro.

"Am I bothering you?" Serena queried, her voice completely missing the snarky tone she was aiming for and settling in nicely as earnest if not a little wounded. "I know that you're busy, B, and if you want me to I'll just go and-"

"Don't be stupid, Serena," Blair admonished, tearing her eyes from her computer screen and fixing them on the blonde. "You can stay here as long as you need to. But you're going to have to tell Carter at some point. The sooner you get it done, the better. I don't imagine he'll be too happy if he finds out he's going to be a father by receiving an invitation to his child's high school graduation."

Serena sighed. "I know. I just…_how_ do I tell him? What if he…what if he leaves me? This isn't easy, B. I'm scared shitless here. Carter and I are not like you and Dan; we're not that solid yet."

Blair rose to join Serena on the twin-sized bed. "Carter loves you, Serena. That I _know_ for sure." Blair patted Serena's knee comfortingly. "And I know you love him. That's got to count for something, S."

Serena eyed her best friend before smiling wistfully. "You can tell Dan. I know it's bothering you, B; you guys have barely spoken this week."

Blair ducked her head. "Dan's upset with me. He hasn't spoken to me for more than ten minutes whenever I call."

Serena threaded her fingers with Blair's. "He's giving you an out. He knows you don't want to lie to him and he doesn't want to put you in the position to do so. If Dan's pissed off at anyone, it's me."

"I can't tell Dan if you won't tell Carter." Blair pointed out delicately. "It just wouldn't be fair."

Serena rolled her eyes surreptitiously and sat up. Just because she was being played by her bestie didn't mean that Serena didn't agree. "I think…I'm going to head back to Manhattan tomorrow. You're right, B; we can't keep living like this."

"Thank the Lord! I mean, I was totally down with you taking your time but…God, Serena." Blair exhaled and buried her face into delicate her hands. Serena had known Blair long enough to sense that the only reason the brunette had not broken into tears of frustration was solely due to her incredible resolve. "I just _really_ wanted to still have a fiancé whenever you decided to tell Carter."

"Oh, Blair, don't say that," Serena instructed. She gently patted her friend on the back. "Dan _adores_ you. He wouldn't leave you- not ever. Come on, you two are our very own Audrey romance: legendary and everlasting."

Despite her aggravation, Blair raised her head (and a perfectly shaped eyebrow). "What are you talking about? An _Audrey_ romance?"

Serena nodded enthusiastically. "It's something Tarah, Jenny, and I worked out while you were in class."

"What a productive use of your time," Blair quipped.

Serena pressed on. "Right, so, everyone knows that Audrey Hepburn is your idol. Besides having her as your inspiration, you and Audrey share a similar love life. Like you, she suffered heartbreak and betrayal until she found The One. Chuck is your Mel, calculating and competitive. Nate's your Andrea Dotti, charming but unfaithful. And Dan…well, he's your Rob. He's the kind, sweet guy you would've never spared a glance early in your life. But now that you've grown up, now that you know yourself, the fact that he is your perfect counterpart is obvious."

Blair smiled wistfully and Serena reached out to brush an errant lock of Blair's hair out of the brunette's eyes. "Audrey spent the happiest years of her life with Rob. You're going to do the same with Dan."

* * *

**Triborough Bridge**

**January 21, 2012**

**9:48 a.m.**

Serena took a deep breath. She and Blair were almost home. Serena had not been surprised when she saw Blair packing for the weekend; after the strain put on B and Dan's relationship it made sense that the brunette would want to visit her fiancé and ascertain that they were once again solid.

Blair sat beside Serena in the backseat of Towncar, sleeping, her head turned towards the window. Serena was equally as tired, which she attributed to that fact that university-issued twin-sized beds were _definitely_ not made for two people, but her nerves made it impossible for her to sleep.

Blair's brow was furrowed slightly and Serena felt a pang of guilt. It had not been her intention to put Blair in a tenuous situation, but it was what had happened. Serena thought about having a talk with Dan, after her pregnancy came to light; she didn't want her stepbrother thinking that Blair had chosen Serena over him because, honestly, like _that_ could ever happen.

Serena reached into her bag and pulled out her cell. She quickly dialed Carter's number before she lost her nerve.

"_Hi_." His voice was warm and Serena couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face.

"Hi. I'm…are you at home? There's something I have to tell you." Serena said.

"_Oh, I bet. I saw Eric on Thursday; he and I had an interesting conversation. We've got a lot to talk about Serena. I'll be home in ten minutes, you can stop by whenever you'd like_."

To say that Serena was mortified was a gross understatement. "I'll be there soon. Carter, it's not what you're thinking, that I promise you."

He sighed. "_Okay. I'll see you soon. Love you_."

"I love you, too." Serena hung up and dropped the phone back into her Tod's satchel.

Serena felt her hand covered by one of Blair's. The brunette still had her eyes closed but her breathing had changed and she was obviously awake.

"Everything's going to be okay, van der Woodsen, you'll see." Blair assured.

Serena bumped her shoulder against Blair's, causing the brunette to smile. "Likewise, Waldorf, likewise."

* * *

**Humphrey Loft**

**January 21, 2012**

**10:36 a.m.**

Dan slipped into his apartment. He'd met Vanessa for breakfast at the same café she used to staff back in high school and spent a couple of hours catching up before she headed home to Nate.

Dan took a deep breath. He desperately wanted to speak with Blair, but Serena hadn't come back to New York yet and Dan wasn't sure what Blair could or could not say. He made his way to his room and paused just inside the doorway.

Lying on her stomach across his bed was his fiancée. She was asleep, cheek resting atop Edith Wharton's _Age of Innocence_, dressed casually in gray stovepipe jeans and plain white tank top. Dan smiled. He walked towards the bed and took a seat on the edge of the mattress.

He rested a hand across the small of her back and uttered, "Hey."

Reacting to his voice, Blair opened her eyes, blinking quickly to rid herself of the lingering slumber, and turned to face him. She grinned. "Hey."

"So," Dan began, "I want to apologize. I've been a real jerk this week and I'm sorry."

Blair turned to lie on her back, reaching up to push the Wharton novel out of the way. She captured Dan's retreating hand and placed it on her stomach. "That's a surprise. I was going to apologize to you. We promised never to keep secrets from each other and…I did."

"Yeah, but I was petty about it. Look, B, Serena is your best friend. She's your sister. She came to you with something heavy on her mind and you did what you do best: you were a good and loyal friend. That's one of the things I love most about you and it wasn't fair for me to penalize you for it."

"Serena's pregnant."

Dan eyes widened and his mouth opened as if he was going to say something and then promptly shut.

"Yeah," Blair said, "that's how I felt Monday. She was so scared about the possibility, and when we confirmed it…I _had_ to help her, Dan. I wanted to tell you but, how could I when she hadn't even let Carter know?"

Dan nodded once. "I'm guessing she finally told him."

Blair sighed inaudibly. "She was going to. The car service dropped her off at his place as soon as we got into Manhattan. I came here."

"I missed you," Dan uttered.

"I missed you, too, Cabbage Patch," she replied with her trademark cheeky tone and Dan laughed.

_This_ is what had been missing all week, the carefree nature of their interactions, the honest and relaxed undertone that comforted them whenever something went awry because it was the most genuine thing in their lives.

Dan leaned down and kissed her, softly at first and heatedly after, his hand slipping beneath her top, smoothing across her soft, warm skin, his fingertips brushing against the lace of her Cosabella bra.

Blair ran a hand through his hair and pulled back. "You need a haircut."

Again, Dan laughed. It was _just_ like Blair to say something like that. He stretched out beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"So, we're okay?" he queried.

Blair nodded. "We're okay." She turned on her side and kissed him. "Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

Blair once again took hold of his hand and dragged it from its place on her hip to the button on her jeans. "Love me."

He did.

* * *

I know, I know, I took FOREVER. I apologize. That said, your thoughts on this chapter would be much appreciated. Thanks.


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